


Who Are You Really?

by SnapTheVolleyNerd



Category: Gravity Falls, Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Bill Cipher is a Jerk, Bisexual Steven universe, Corrupted Steven Universe, Corruption scars, Crossover, Demisexual Stanford Pines, Depressed Dipper Pines, Dipper has a crush on Steven, Dipven, Dreams and Nightmares, F/F, F/M, Gravity Falls Oregon, Gravity falls and Steven universe au, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, It gets very dark, M/M, Mabel Pines' Sweaters, Pansexual Mabel Pines, Post-Gravity Falls, Protective Mabel Pines, Protective Stan Pines, Stan Pines Needs A Hug, Stan Pines is a Good Brother, Stan is constantly pissed, Steven Universe Future, Steven Universe Has PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Steven is very bi, Teenage Dipper Pines, Teenage Mabel Pines, Trans Dipper Pines, could get very dark, fiddauthor - Freeform, pacifica and Mabel, slow burn-maybe, su x gf, summer job, who am I kidding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:40:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 29
Words: 47,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24365935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnapTheVolleyNerd/pseuds/SnapTheVolleyNerd
Summary: Steven met Bill when he was younger, but as far as he knows, Bill was just his imaginary friend when he was growing up. They used to play together all the time. When he visits Gravity Falls and learns the truth, what will happen?
Relationships: Fiddleford H. McGucket/Ford Pines, Pacifica Northwest/Mabel Pines
Comments: 367
Kudos: 434





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> yes this was necessary, enjoy your torture :)

_“Well, well, well. You look awful small to have summoned me, Shooting Star.”_

_Steven giggled before he reached out to talking triangle._

_“My name’s not Shooting Star! It’s Steven!”_

_Bill couldn’t believe that such a young child had been able to summon **him**. The most **feared dream demon in thousands of dimensions.** _

_“What’s your name, mister?”_

_Bill thought for only a moment, peering into the small child’s future._

_“Why, my name is Bill Cipher! And you and I are gonna do great things together, kid!”_

_Bill put his arm on Steven’s shoulder, leading him towards the darkest area in his mindscape. There were many things to show the kid, especially if he wanted to use him in his plans._

_“Now then, why don’t we take a look at your **mom**?”_

Steven awoke with a start. It had been _years_ since he had even _thought_ about the imaginary friend from his childhood. But that dream had felt all too real. He stretched as he looked at the clock. He still woke up early, but only if he had gotten enough rest, which he was grateful for.

“Now then, where to next?”

He looked at the map, and saw a small town.

“Huh, that looks like a nice place to visit. Maybe I’ll stay there for awhile!”

Tucking the map back into his bag, he headed to the hotel lobby. He was grateful that his dad had given him something called a bank card to pay for all of this.

“Where are you off to now, kiddo?”

“ ** _Gravity Falls, Oregon_**!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> F INFRTSI, UJWKJHY UZUUJY YT YF PJ TAJW YMJ BTWQI


	2. Welcome to Gravity Falls!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven arrives in Gravity Falls, Dipper learns the hard way not to fuck with unknown creatures in the basement...

“Come _on,_ Dipper! We just got here, you can’t spend all day in the lab!”

“But Mabel-“

“NO BUTTS, EXCEPT YOURS OUTSIDE!”

Stan watched the exchange from his usual spot in the recliner, and couldn’t help but chuckle. He was glad he and Ford had decided to spend the Summer back at home again. He sipped his soda, as he heard Ford shuffling around in the lab, putting together their research from the past several months at sea.

“Welcome to the Mystery Shack, dude!”

Stan could hear Soos doing a great job at being Mr. Mystery, but then he heard the voice of a kid.

“Wow, this place looks awesome!”

Stan barely had time to react as the poor sap got shoved into the living room by the struggling twins, he couldn’t help the deep laughter that bubbled up from his chest as he watched his niece and nephew scrambling to get back on their feet to apologize to the teen.

“ _Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, are you okay!?_ ”

“Mabel! Give the guy time to ANSWER. Are you okay man?”

The twins were more than a little surprised to hear the teen chuckling.

“Wow, you guys remind me a lot of my friends back home!”

Dipper reached out a hand to help him up, as Mabel began peppering the boy with questions.

“Wow, where are you from? What are your friends like? What’s your name? Do you like the Mystery Shack?”

Stan stayed in his chair as he observed Dipper do a facepalm before the new kid could answer.

“Um, I’m from a place called Beach City, my friends are pretty awesome, my name is Steven, and yeah, I really like this little place!”

Dipper and Stan stood in stunned silence. Few people were able to answer all of Mabel’s questions at once, and even fewer actually _did_ give her answers at all.

“My name’s Mabel, and this is my twin brother, Dipper!”

“Oh my gosh, you guys are twins?! I know a pair of twin sisters back home!”

As Mabel was squealing about Steven, Dipper noticed Ford come running into the living room.

“ _Dipper, I need you help in the lab. **Now!**_ ”

“Coming, Grunkle Ford!”

“Grunkle?”

“Yeah, it’s ‘great’ and ‘uncle’ mashed together to make it one easy to say word! Isn’t it great!?”

Steven nodded his head in agreement. After he had been helped up and Dipper had run off with their great uncle, Mabel introduced him to everyone else.

“This is Grunkle Stan!”

“Hey, how’s it hanging, kid?”

Steven gave Stan the finger guns while speaking.

“Great, I’m really excited to be here!”

“C’mon Steven, I gotta introduce you to everyone else!”

Steven chuckled as Mabel tugged him back into the shop, where Soos and Melody were talking about new attractions.

“Soos! Melody! Meet Steven!”

Steven stood awkwardly as he held out his hand in a semi wave.

“Uh, hi, nice to meet you! I’m Steven Universe!”

Soos smiled before walking over to shake Steven’s hand.

“Welcome to the Mystery Shack! I’m Mr. Mystery, or Soos, whichever you want dude! And this lovely lady right here is my wife!”

Melody giggled as Soos presented her almost like she was an attraction herself.

“Soos! Hi Steven, my name is Melody, it’s nice to meet you!”

“It’s nice to meet you both too! Wow, this is a really nice town, and everyone so far has been pretty nice too!”

“CALM DOWN DIPPER, IT CAN SMELL FEAR!”

“ **Grunkle Ford!! It’s literally eating my arm!** ”

Stan realized he _could_ ignore the fact that his brother and nephew could potentially lose a limb while dealing with one of the many creatures they brought back from the sea, however he also knew that neither of the two geniuses would have enough brawn to get it off of each other.

“Alright you knuckleheads, here I am! FOR THE LOVE OF FUCK FORD WHY’D YA LET THAT THING OUT!?”

“ _Stanley, now is not the time for questions!”_

Shrugging, Stan lunged straight for the base of the creatures many limbs, it was almost like an octopus. The only reason they had been able to beat the larger version had been because he had a harpoon gun back then. Currently, he only had his bare hands.

“Stanferd! I’m ba-“

“ **FIDDS, DUCK!** ”

Fiddleford ducked down in just enough time to avoid being skewered by a razor sharp appendage. Quickly taking action, he grabbed Ford’s electro glove prototypes and grabbed the creature, pulling it off of Dipper’s arm.

Throwing the creature against the wall, he and Stan rushed at it, ensuring it’s swift demise.

“ _Stanferd._ You’d better have a darn good explanation.”

Ford looked at him sheepishly, as Stan carefully examined Dipper’s arm.

“Yeah, Ford, look at what ya did to our nephew.”

Dipper looked incredibly pale, and his arm was _covered_ in wounds, the creature apparently had a large amount of teeth. Ford looked down in shame. Fiddleford gently put his hands on his shoulders.

“Stanferd, I know yer used to doing things on yer own, but Dipper is still a boy, and not anywhere near as used to these things as you are. I know you care about him, and he loves helpin’ you in the lab, but you need to learn that some things are too dangerous fer him. Okay?”

Ford nodded his head in agreement. He looked at Dipper worriedly, as Stan worked on flushing the boy’s wounds. He took a deep breath before he went looking for the first aid kit.

“Stanferd, I’ll be in the kitchen, gonna make something to eat.”

“Okay Fidds. Thank you for your help.”

Stan busied himself trying to keep Dipper awake.

“C’mon kid, stay with me now. Let’s see…uh, how many fingers am I holding up?”

“ugh….8?”

Stan looked at the two fingers he was holding up.

“Hm. Well, that’s not good. Ford!”

“…and that’s Greasy’s Diner, it’s the best place to eat in Gravity Falls! It’s also where Pacifica and Lazy Susan work!”

Steven was hard pressed to keep up with Mabel’s words, but he had an easier time than most, he discovered.

“Wait, wait. I thought you said Pacifica was like, your arch nemesis or something?”

“Oh, that’s all water under the bridge now! I mean, we _were_ only 12! And besides, she helped us out with something really serious back then too!”

Steven had the sense that Mabel was holding back on talking about something, but he knew better than to press.

“Okay, what’s the best thing to eat here, Mabel?”

She thought for mere moments before deciding.

“Definitely the pancakes! Oh, and also the milkshakes are the _best_!”

Steven grinned, a milkshake sounded amazing.

“Okay, pancakes and milkshakes, on me!”

Mabel gasped loudly.

“ _Really!?_ ”

“Really! Come on, I’m starving!”

Steven could help but laugh at Mabel, she reminded him so much of his younger self. He couldn’t banish the thoughts of his trauma as he thought back to those days.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Wh-oh, yeah I’m okay! Just…thinking.”

Mabel looked at her new friend, worry blossoming in her heart. However, she was quickly distracted when their meals arrived, served by Pacifica.

“Mabel! Is it that time of year already?”

“haha yep! Good to see you to Pacifica!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GZNQI ZU F KWNJSIXMNU UNSPD NQQ YJFW NY ITBS NS XJHTSIX


	3. An Offer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mabel learns more about Steven, Dipper is banned from the lab, and something unexpected may occur

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eNjOy

“How you feeling kiddo?”

Dipper groaned in response. Ford had bandaged and cleaned his numerous wounds, but the pain wasn’t likely to be lessening any time soon.

“Yeah, I know, that thing had some nasty bites. Don’t worry, Fidds and I were able to kill it, so it won’t be bothering you anymore. My _brother_ , on the other hand, has had his lab privileges revoked until further notice. Which means you aren’t going into the lab either.”

“Aw man, we’ve only been here for two days and I’m already not allowed in the lab again.”

Dipper pouted from his bed. He had hoped to spend most of the Summer in the lab with Ford.

“Yeah, yeah, you two nerds can have as much fun as you want _after_ you’ve healed, kid. Besides, Ford’s kinda busy with ‘you-know-who’.”

Stan joked, knowing that Dipper had still barely been able to wrap his mind around what had happened the previous year. Ford and Fiddleford had begun dating, and they were currently engaged. Dipper gave him a small smile, clearly still upset.

“Ah, c’mon kid, cheer up. I’ll see about getting Ford’s journals for you to look through. He said something about that creature bein a uh….hybrid or something.”

Dipper perked up at the mention of Ford’s journals. He was always eager to read through his research. Stan walked forward to rub Dipper’s head affectionately, as he spoke.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll get them for ya. Don’t be surprised if you see dorky drawing of McFiddlebucket in there though.”

That managed to make Dipper laugh. Stan grinned at his nephew, walking out of the room.

“Grunkle Stan?”

“Yeah, kid?”

“Thank you. For looking out for me.”

“Of course, kid. _Somebody_ has to look out for ya when your sister isn’t around!”

“Stanferd, what’dya mean you think you know which creatures cross bred to create that fod fersaken creature?”

“I mean Fidds, that there may be even _more_ of them in the deep sea! Look at this, these teeth _clearly_ belong to _Chlamydoselachus anguineus,_ but these tentacles! They belong to **_Architeuthis dux_**! By all means, this should be impossible! This could very well be the creature that fishermen described as a kraken all these years, this is a groundbreaking discovery! And we killed it!”

“Stanferd Pines, yer nephew could have been _killed_ by such a creature.”

Fiddleford glared at Ford, knowing he was ecstatic at finding the species this creature truly was, but he should’ve been more concerned about his nephew.

“I…I know, Fidds. I _am_ worried. I just…this is how I handle it. By focusing on something different. You’re right, I should go check on him.”

Ford had been getting better at being more open with his feelings, but it was still difficult for him. Fiddleford was the only one who could get him to be entirely honest when he really didn’t want to be.

“Maybe I should bring him some of my research, we can go over it together while he’s recovering! That would be perfect, since he shouldn’t be in the lab until he’s recovered anyway!”

Fiddleford smiled softly as he watched his love quickly gather books and pencils for the aspiring teen. He was more than happy to call these people his family. He listened for Ford’s footsteps going upstairs as he continued making lunch, including a big meal for Dipper.

“So Steven, what’s it like in Beach City?”

“Oh, it’s pretty great! I lived right on the beach, with my three guardians, Pearl, Amethyst and Garnet. And then there was Little Homeworld where Lapis, Peridot and Bismuth live! I used to go there all the time! And then there was this awesome pizza place, that’s where the twins work! Their family runs it, and Nanefua, their grandmother is the town mayor.”

Mabel listened to Steven with stars in her eyes.

“Wow, that sounds like an awesome place to visit!”

Steven chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head, unsure what else to say. He needn’t have worried, because Pacifica rushed over to their table and whispered something into Mabel’s ear.

“Ugh, he’s back already? I thought he wouldn’t be back until next week!”

“So did everyone else! And now we have to deal with the crowds he always brings. Ugh.”

Bewildered, Steven looked between the two girls, who were indicating the cause of their frustration was currently outside. Squinting, he noticed a pale young man with white hair standing in the middle of a crowd, signing autographs.

“…anyway, I came over here to give you some to-go containers and extra milkshakes. Also, Ford called and said there was an accident or something at the shack? I think Dipper was involved, you should probably head over there.”

Mabel’s jaw dropped as Pacifica finished talking. She shoveled her remaining food into the containers, so Steven did the same. Once their food was secured, Mabel ran over to hug Pacifica.

“Thanks, I’ll text you tonight, bye!”

Steven quirked an eyebrow up at the blush on Pacifica’s face, but Mabel tugged on his arm to get out of the diner before he had the chance to ask. Clutching their left over food, he tried to keep up with Mabel’s pace, running towards the shack.

“I’m back! Is Dipper okay?!”

Fiddleford looked up from his book, a bit startled.

“Mabel, dear! Your brother had a little accident with one of the creatures yer Grunkle Ford brought back. He’s not allowed in the lab until he heals. It’s a rather painful injury.”

“Oh my gosh! Where is he?!”

“He’s in yer room with yer Grunkle Ford.”

Mabel darted up the stairs, clearly worried for her twin, as Steven set down their food and milkshakes on the counter.

“Now, who might you be, young man?”

“U-um, my name is Steven. Steven Universe. Nice to meet you!”

“Nice to meet you too, Steven. Mah name is Fiddleford McGucket. I’m Stanferd’s fiancé.”

Steven grinned at the words, he absolutely adored weddings to begin with, but seeing two older men who were in love? That wasn’t something he got to see often.

“So uh, what’s it like here in the shack, Mr. Mcgucket?”

“Oh hush, you can call me Fidds. Well, it’s pretty busy for me, I switch it up sometimes. I’ll help Stanferd in the lab, or I’ll help out Soos in the shop! I’d like to spend more time in the lab with Stanferd, if Ah’m honest though.”

Steven rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Maybe he could help out! There’s nothing to fix here, he reminded himself, but maybe he could try out having a job for the Summer…

“W-well, I was planning on staying here in Gravity Falls for awhile, maybe I could…I don’t know, work in the shop sometimes?”

“That’d be mighty nice, but Ah’m not the one who can make that choice, Soos is. An’ he’s with some tourists, but Ah’ll ask ‘im when the shack closes down fer the night!”

Steven grinned, he really did like it here. But he realized he hadn’t seen any hotels in town, and he would rather not spend the whole time living in the Dondai.

“Um, are there any hotels around here? I was going to look around for some today, but I didn’t have the chance to.”

Fiddleford clapped his hand against his forehead, as if he had forgotten the most obvious solution.

“Well, we do have an extra room, Ah’ll ask ‘bout that too! Ah think you’ll like it here, Steven. Fer now, I’ll show you the spare room, you look kinda tired there, son.”

Steven smiled as he allowed himself to be led to the spare room, it looked nice. He laid down on the soft couch, as Fiddleford left, closing the door behind him.

Steven drifted off into a deep sleep, which he gratefully welcomed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PWRUG XEB E MCENG BNAES, IQUA LXAS ETT KP IWLX E MCNAES 
> 
> MXELLANAB IWRBQIM, CKPM ERB PTELAM, PWRUG WM IXEL XA XELAM


	4. T is for Trauma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven has a strange dream....so does Dipper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I STAYED UP LATE TO WRITE THIS WHOLE THING ENJOY

_Spinning, spinning, spinning._

_Faster and faster as time wore on._

_Blurs of White, Yellow and Blue passed over him._

_Suddenly he was still._

_What was going on?_

_“Great Uncle Ford!”_

_Dipper? Why was he here?_

_He looked down at his hands, they were covered in bandages._

_What!?_

_“Get away from my family!”_

_He walked closer, and he saw Dipper._

_Looking towards what Dipper was yelling at, he let out a gasp._

**_Bill?_ **

_Here?_

_What was happening?_

_His eyes widened as he watched Bill launch a powerful attack at Dipper._

_Before he had a chance to think it through, he rushed between the two._

_“St-Steven?”_

_He had used his shield to block the attack._

_Suddenly everything was white again._

_What the hell?!_

_“Now Starlight, I think this game has gone on long enough.”_

_No._

**_No!_ **

_“…Please no…”_

_He felt hot tears slipping down his cheeks as she picked him up._

_He couldn’t relive this again._

_Not now!_

“ **Mabel, wake up!** ”

Dipper shook his sleeping sister until she sleepily slapped his hands away with a mumble.

His heart was pounding, he had such a horrifying yet strange nightmare, he had to talk with _someone_ about it!

“Dammit Mabel, why do you always get to have such great sleep? Maybe…maybe Steven is around? Did hear Soos and Grunkle Fidds talking about him maybe working here and living here for a while…”

Dipper suddenly bit his tongue as he realized he was muttering out loud again, and he didn’t want to wake Mabel up now, not that he _could_ , but he would never admit that.

He started slowly walking down the stairs when he heard muttering coming from the spare room. He thought for a fraction of a second before he inched closer to the room.

“ _…No….I’m not her!_ ”

Dipper felt a twinge of concern as he got closer to the door, suddenly he heard a clearer voice speak.

“ ** _She’s GONE!_** ”

He flinched at the sudden increase in volume, but he had finally reached the door, he wasn’t turning back now. Something was wrong with the newest addition to the Shack. He lightly knocked on the door, before turning the knob and finally seeing the state Steven was in.

Steven had rolled off of the couch at some point, he seemed to have been thrashing a lot, from the state of the couch. His clothes were clinging to his skin, and Dipper could see a vague outline of a circular object on the older boy’s stomach.

Unsure what to do, Dipper silently walked into the room, to where Steven was laying on the floor, sweat dripping down his forehead, muttering fearfully.

Dipper was about to reach a hand out to try and gently nudge him awake when he started _glowing pink_. He quickly yanked his hand back, wondering how such a thing was even possible. He was brought out of his curious thoughts by a sob from Steven. And then it clicked.

“..hey, uh Steven? I-I’m not all that great with helping people out with nightmares and stuff, but um…you-you’re not alone. Hell, you probably can’t even hear me, but I gotta wake you up somehow.”

He shook Steven lightly by his shoulders, the only result was Steven’s body swaying as it was moved. Dipper could feel the panic rising in him. Steven was clearly in a state of distress, and needed to wake up, but what can he do?

Suddenly, he had an idea. Mentally sending a plea to whatever god was listening, he slapped the older boy as hard as he could.

He hadn’t expected him to scream. And certainly not for it to shatter glass. Or throw him against the wall.

He rubbed his head with his good hand, looking up at Steven, who was paralyzed. He was no longer glowing pink, but he looked utterly horrified.

“Oh my god, Dipper are you okay?!”

“Yeah man, I’ve had _way_ worse.”

“That’s not the point!”

“Dude, it’s okay. I just wasn’t expecting you to fling me away like that for waking you up.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Water under the bridge, man. Are you okay though? Looked like a pretty intense dream you were having there.”

“Ah, yeah, I’m okay. Just some bad memories.”

Dipper mad a mental note to pay closer attention to the guy. Clearly he’d seen some shit, but why was he glowing pink? He decided to ask some questions about it at a later time, not wanting to cause more distress than the poor guy was already in.

“Dipper?! What’s going in here?”

“Grunkle Ford! It’s okay, Steven just had a nightmare, and I happened to hear him while I was on my way to get a cup of water.”

Ford looked skeptical about Dipper’s reasoning, after all, he was supposed to stay in bed to rest for the next few days. However, based upon the state the older boy seemed to be in, he made the choice to discuss this at a later time.

“Alright, Dipper, let’s get ya back to bed. Come on now, yer Grunkle Ford can handle this now, but Ah need to take a look at yer arm.”

Dipper groaned as he let Fiddleford help him into the kitchen, leaving Steven with Ford.

“So, Steven, was it? I’m Stanford, but you can call me Ford. Are you alright young man?”

Steven looked up at the older man, and was pleasantly surprised to see there was no judgement in his eyes. He couldn’t quite place it, but there was something about Stanford that put him at ease.

“Y-yeah. Just a…”

He saw a flash of White’s terrifying smile and winced.

“…bad nightmare.”

He finished, before glancing up once again.

Ford was looking at him, concern in his eyes. Steven nervously toyed with the hem of his shirt, and was mildly disgusted to discover it was drenched in his sweat.

“Steven, I know you barely know me, but I will always be here if you need to talk. More often than not I’ll also be awake. You’re not the only one in this house that has nightmares, my boy.”

Steven managed to give him a soft smile, nodding in understanding.

“Thank you. But um…I really should be getting back to bed now.”

“You should probably get a drink first. I’ll see you in the morning, from what I’ve been hearing. Pleasant dreams young man.”

Ford waved in farewell as he quietly shut the door behind him, and Steven caught sight of his hands for the first time.

“huh, he has six fingers just like Jade. I’ll have to tell her when I go back home.”

He felt a little homesick, thinking about his friends in Beach City, but he was excited to be spending time on the road still. Gravity Falls seemed like a nice place.

He pulled out his phone, and saw several texts from his friends and family, with Connie at the top of the list. He tapped on the notification, and smiled warmly at the picture she had sent.

Her parents had commissioned a portrait for her and Lion, as a Knight and her faithful companion, knowing she would love it. He took a deep breath, steadying himself before walking back towards the sofa, where he had brought in a few of his things. He was grateful that he had a private room to change in.

He slipped out of his day clothes and into his soft sweatshirt and pants, he wanted comfort, and the clothes that Pearl had personally made for that reason were perfect for it. He glanced at the bed he had seen earlier and decided he’d likely sleep better there than on the couch.

He sighed as he snuggled into the blankets, allowing himself to think of home, and how much safer he felt there nowadays.

“Ah thought Ah told ya to _rest_ , Dipper. Yer wounds have reopened. Now ya have to rest even longer.”

Dipper groaned at Fiddleford’s words, but he knew he was right. His entire right arm felt as if it were on fire.

He probably shouldn’t have even gotten out of bed, he _knew_ that, but he couldn’t just stay there after the dream he’d had.

Fiddleford heard him sigh deeply, and quirked an eyebrow at him.

“Nightmare, Dipper?”

He jumped, always surprised by the older man’s intuition. He nodded quietly, looking to the floor, as Fiddleford redressed his wounds.

“Nightmares are nothin’ to be ashamed of, we all have them. But maybe next time, wake up yer sister.”

“I tried to!”

“She’s a deep sleeper like Stan, isn’t she?”

“…yeah.”

“Ya can always wake me up, Dipper. I’m a light sleeper.”

“Okay Grunkle Fidds.”

Fiddleford beamed at his nickname, Mabel had insisted, since he was going to be their Grunkle soon anyway. He finished tending to Dipper’s wounds and helped him back up to bed, tucking him in so the blanket wouldn’t irritate his arm.

He smiled as he shut the door behind him, he was glad to have found family again, even after everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NR GFHP UNSJYWJJ GJYYJW WZS GJKTWJ NR KWJJ
> 
> UNSPD NXSY BMFY DTZ YMTZLMY ZSQNPJ FSDYMNSL DTZ KTZLMY


	5. Of Mysteries and Aliens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven has his first day at work, Dipper has some unsettling theories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I WROTE THIS AFTER WORK I AM TIRED AND DID NOT PROOF READ SO ANY MISTAKES ARE MY BAD BUT PLEASE ENJOY MY SLEEP DEPRIVED WRITING

When Dipper woke the next morning, Mabel was in a chair by his bed, worriedly chewing on her thumbnail. He tried to move his arms a bit, but let out a groan at the sudden wave of pain.

That’s right, his wounds had reopened last night. He had forgotten.

“Bro-bro! Grunkle Fidds told me what happened last night, how are you feeling?”

“…ugh, like I got hit by a bus.”

Mabel sighed at the state her brother was currently in. It wasn’t all that abnormal for him to go overboard with his research, but this was too much.

“Well, since you’re not allowed in the lab until you’re all healed up, Grunkle Stan said you could probably help Soos out in the shop. _After_ all those wounds are beginning to heal though. Also, Steven’s working in the shack for awhile too! Today’s his first day, I’m so excited for him!”

Dipper groaned as he threw his good arm over his face, he really did not want to be working in the shack as much this Summer, even if he did get paid for it. But now Steven was _also_ going to be working in the shop? He would have more time to study him discreetly, so he wasn’t going to complain _as much_ as he _wanted to_.

“I’m gonna go get some breakfast, okay Dipper? I’ll bring it up here so you can eat too, you must be starving!”

As if on cue, his stomach growled loudly, leading Mabel to a fit of giggles as she skipped downstairs, leaving Dipper alone with his thoughts.

Who _is_ this Steven Universe? Why was he in Dipper’s nightmare while having a nightmare of his own?

Dipper froze. Could Steven really be another pawn of Bill’s? He shook his head, there was no way. Bill has been dead for three years. He looked at his hands, wondering what exactly Steven was, and what that weird power had been. Maybe he had just imagined it, and Steven was just super strong?

Groaning, he swung his legs over the side of the bed, he wanted his own journals to write down these thoughts. As he stood, he was overcome with a violent wave of nausea and dizziness.

“…whoa…”

He whispered breathlessly. Mabel returned in just enough time to see him attempt to stand, only to fall back in bed.

“Dipper! You’re obviously not feeling well, what are you _doing_!?”

He shrunk at her words, he knew she was right.

“I…I just wanted my journals?”

She glared at him, knowing her twin’s habit of ignoring things that could potentially harm him in the long term. She sighed deeply, setting down the two plates of pancakes.

“Dipper, you could have just called for some help. Everyone else has been awake for hours, including Steven. Heck, even Grunkle Stan is awake already!”

She looked at him pointedly.

“I’ll move your journals and nerd stuff over here so you can reach them, but you shouldn’t be getting out of bed too much. Grunkle Fidds said you lost a lot of blood yesterday, and he and Grunkle Ford are making sure that thing that attacked you wasn’t venomous. And I _know_ you barely ate yesterday. You need to eat! Or you’ll start feeling even _worse_!”

Dipper looked down shamefully, he knew she was right. She looked at him, worry far overpowering her anger. She was _pissed off_ at her brother.

“…I’m sorry, Mabel. I’ll try to be better.”

She grit her teeth in exasperation as she shoved his breakfast towards him.

“Dip, you keep _saying_ that but never actually doing anything! Do you mean it this time?!”

Steven could hear the twins arguing quite clearly from the kitchen, at first he wondered if he should go check on them, but he decided not to, after all, he needed to get ready for his first day of work! He grinned to himself, he was pretty excited for this.

“Morning kid, Soos said there was a newbie starting today! I’m Wendy, sup?”

“Oh hi, he did mention that there was another employee! I’m Steven, are you gonna show me what all I’m supposed to be doing?”

She paused to think for a moment, before nodding her head. She had hoped he had already been given a brief rundown of his duties as one of the employees.

“Yep, come on kid, let’s start restocking. Looks like Soos had a busy night!”

Steven grinned as he followed her to the back, where extra merchandise was kept. He was constantly getting distracted by each item, and how interesting they were to him.

Wendy was beginning to get exasperated, but she remembered she just had to show him the ropes, afterwards she would just be working to help support him during his shifts, according to Soos.

“Hey Wendy, what’s this?”

She paled when she saw what he was holding.

“Dude! Put that back _now_!”

“Wh-what’s wrong?”

He asked as he carefully returned the object to it’s rightful place.

“Look, that thing caused all hell to break lose a few years ago. It never should have come back here in the first place. But I checked it out and it’s the real thing. I have to throw it back out later. Just…don’t say _anything_ to anyone about it, okay? It’s super important.”

“O-oh. Okay.”

She breathed a sigh of relief as she carefully took it off of the shelf, and put it in her own bag. Steven couldn’t help but feel curious about the beat up old book, and how it had caused so many problems in the past. But Wendy yanked him out of his thoughts before he had the chance to ask.

“Come on dude, it’s almost opening time, we gotta hurry! Soos and Melody will be down in like an hour. But we gotta watch the shack while they’re getting ready. Also dude, Soos wanted me to give you this shirt. You don’t have to wear it, but he wanted you to have it.”

She shoved a green shirt with a question mark on it into his arms, and he turned it over to see that it said “STAFF” on the back.

“Hurry up and go change man, I’ll watch the shop for a few minutes.”

Steven looked at himself in the mirror. He had a few of Mabel’s colorful band aids on his face from the previous night, along with a handful of stickers she had managed to get on him while they were making breakfast.

The green shirt fit him perfectly, even if it didn’t seem to suit him at first. The more he looked at it, the more comfortable he felt with it. He finally decided to put on his light blue earrings, with his matching headband before heading back out.

“Come on Steven, you can do this! You’ve worked at the Big Donut, and also ran a school before, I think you can handle working in a gift shop with help.”

He grinned at himself. One of the things his therapist had told him to do more was positive self-talk. He really was excited for this job, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t feeling anxiety over it.

He could still hear the twins talking, but they had quieted down considerably. He took a deep breath before he stepped out of his room. He can handle this.

“Dude, you look great! Now come help out, we’ve got a good crowd coming in!”

Steven rushed to the counter where Wendy was ringing customers in, while making sure Steven followed what she was saying to him. The hour before Soos and Melody came to the shop passed quickly, with Steven learning at an incredible rate.

Melody was the first to enter the shop, donning her Mrs. Mystery outfit that Mabel had designed for her a year ago. She was followed closely by Soos, who naturally, was wearing a version of Stan’s old outfit.

“Ladies, gents, enby peeps, I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Mystery! Give ‘em a round of applause people!”

Wendy’s announcement caught the attention of the many people in the shop, who turned just in time to see Soos offering his arm to Melody as they walked throughout the store, giving their usual grand entrance that still fascinated the tourists.

Steven watched in awe as the tourists began to grab more merch, specifically the Mr. and Mrs. Mystery branded items, in support of the unlikely but beautiful couple.

As the tourists began to clear out, Soos and Melody stepped behind the counter, finally being able to greet their newest employee.

“So, how do you like it, Steven? I know it’s probably very different from what you’re used to!”

Melody smiled as she spoke to him, gently putting a hand on his shoulder. Steven grinned right back.

“This is _way_ better than when I was running a school! This is a great job, thank you for hiring me!”

The trio of more seasoned employees collectively raised their eyebrows at such a young man having run a school, although they had to admit, they had seen and heard stranger things.

“Whoa, dude. You actually ran a school? That’s awesome dude!”

“Haha, yeah, it was for awhile. After having to do the first graduation ceremony though, I realized it was too stressful for me to keep doing that.”

He looked up at them, surprised to see wide eyes and raised eyebrows.

“Wh-what? Oh yeah, I guess I’m pretty young to have been running a school, but it’s true! I’m actually one of the co-founders of it!”

“Dude. You gotta tell us more about this some time. Oh, dudes! More tourists at one o’clock! Let’s move!”

Mabel sighed, bored while Dipper scribbled in his journals, muttering to himself.

“Okay Dip, I’m gonna head down to the shop, but you can just call me if you need me. Hell, just text me! But I wanna go help out in the shop!”

“Huh? Oh yeah, okay Mabel, I will.”

Dipper responded, not even looking up from his notes. Whatever he was studying had his full attention, anyone could see that. Mabel stuck her tongue out at her nerdy brother, stifling a giggle when she realized she could make several faces at him without him noticing at that moment.

“I have arri-i-i-ived!”

“Hey Mabes, what’s up?”

“I got bored with Dipper doing his nerd stuff while he heals.”

“Whoa what? Heals? What happened?”

“Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you yesterday Wendy! There was an accident, one of Grunkle Ford’s creatures got loose and attacked him!”

Wendy’s jaw dropped as Mabel finished speaking. She looked from Steven to Soos, before Soos gave her a thumbs-up. That was all she needed, and off she dashed to check on her friend.

Sure enough, there he was, his dominant arm still covered in bandages, and immobilized in a homemade sling, struggling to write with his left hand.

“Need some help there, Dip?”

He didn’t hear her come in, and he seemed to have not heard her question.

“ _Wow, you must be pretty deep in your own head dude_.”

She whispered under her breath. She considered her options for a moment, before flopping on to the end of the bed, causing Dipper to release an involuntary girlish scream that made her laugh.

“Dude chill out, it’s just me. You were lost in your mind again.”

“Ugh, sorry Wendy. Wait, shouldn’t you be down in the shop?”

“Well, Mabel just told me _your_ dumb ass got attacked by a monster yesterday.”

She gently smacked his head as she finished speaking. Picking up some of Dipper’s notes, she started asking questions.

“What’cha studying this Summer, Dip?”

He mumbled something not quite loud enough for her to hear, and she lightly smacked him once again.

“Steven. I’m studying Steven. He-he did something so strange last night, and-and he was in my nightmare and!”

“Dipper, give the kid a chance. He’s totally killing it in the shop, he loves it here. Just give him a chance, okay? It’s not like he’s Bill. And besides, you know I’ve always got your back.”

She smiled at him, and for a moment, he was able to live in a world where Bill never hurt him. But as she was speaking, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being watched. Surely he was just being paranoid? But he simply couldn’t shake that feeling.

**ĦΔƤƤƗŇ€ŞŞ ŴΔŞ Ň€V€Ř Μ€ΔŇŦ ŦØ ŁΔŞŦ ƤƗŇ€ ŦŘ€€.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NR MJWJ UNSJ YWJJ JAJWDBMJWJ GZT DTZ HFSY XJJ
> 
> UNSPD BNQQ XFD XYFD GFHP NQQ RFPJ DTZ BFYHM FX N RFPJ MNR HWFHP


	6. Everything Goes Wonderfully Right ɓuoɹM ʎlqıɹɹoH ɹO

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper has another dream, Steven has a revelation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YES HI HELLO I STAYED UP VERY LATE FOR THIS 
> 
> NO PROOF READING WE DIE LIKE MEN

That night, Dipper had another dream. But this one? This one was different.

_“Bill! Come back!”_

_“Try and catch me Little Star!”_

_What._

**_What?_ **

**_ What the hell?! _ **

_That looked like Steven! Only…smaller. And that was clearly Bill with him!_

_“Hey Bill?”_

_Steven looked up, a concerned look on his face._

_“How come dad and the gems can’t see you like I can?”_

_“Well, Little Star, if they saw me, they’d make me go away. Do you really want that?”_

_“No! I bet mom would let you stay if she was here…”_

_Bill’s eye flashed pink, and for a moment, it was almost like he was someone else._

_“Can…can we go see more about mom now, Bill? Please?”_

_“Sure kid.”_

_Steven reached out his hand for Bill. He floated lower to hold onto Steven as they waked into a pink/gray mixture of color. Suddenly there were different voices all around._

_“Enough! This is **your** colony Pink….”_

_“….now Starlight….”_

_“….my diamond!”_

_The colorful fog began to solidify, becoming a tall, very pink woman. She certainly didn’t look human at all, she was much too large, and that doesn’t even include the diamond embedded in her belly, where her belly button should have been._

_“Hi mom!”_

_She smiled at Steven, but didn’t speak._

_“I had a good day today! I got to sing with dad, and I got to show the gems a song!”_

_He hugged her legs, Bill standing off to the side, a bored look on his face, but only when Steven wasn’t looking at him._

_“And I got to have some fun with my best friend, Bill! He’s different, just like I am!”_

_She looked down at him, worry in her eyes. She couldn’t seem to speak, but she leaned down to pick up Steven, and cuddled him close before she glared at Bill._

**_What?!_ **

_“Mom…sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever be everything that you were. That the gems want me to be. Do you think I can?”_

_She only held him closer as she began to melt away. Soon Steven was sobbing on the ground, Bill floated over to him, and put a hand on his small shoulder._

_“Come on Little Star, it’s time to go home.”_

_Suddenly, everything was a blur. A soft, pained voice was audible for only a moment._

_“…I’m a fraud….I’m a **monster.** ”_

_Before everything faded to black._

“holy _shit_!”

Dipper had been considerably louder than expected, considering his waking words were cussing. He quickly looked over to Mabel’s bed, only to see her staring at him, bewildered.

“…you okay there, Dip?”

When he didn’t respond, she put her brush down and walked over to his bed.

“Dipper?”

“….I had another weird dream last night, Mabel.”

“Was it a nightmare?”

“I…I don’t think so? It was…it was almost like I was…seeing Steven’s memories?”

“It was just a dream, Dipper! Besides, Steven is-“

“Mabel, he knows Bill.”

She froze, before turning to glare at him.

“Dipper, that’s not funny. Bill is dead, and Steven is a great guy.”

“Mabel I’m not joking! I want to like him too! But I wasn’t having dreams like this before!”

She knew he was telling her the truth, she could always tell if he was lying. She sighed deeply before she turned away from him.

“Dipper, just…give him a chance. Maybe he got tricked by Bill too and that’s causing some kind of issue. We’ve had weirder shit happen to us. Now go back to sleep, you were tossing and turning all night.”

She left the room before he could say anything, and he was left alone with the thoughts of that strange dream. He knew she was right, he still felt exhausted, but he had to write down what he had seen.

When Ford came to check on him, he realized the boy had fallen asleep while writing. He carefully removed the journal and pen from his hands, and tucked him back into bed.

“Goodnight Mason. Sleep well, my boy.”

He ruffled Dipper’s hair lightly before leaving the room. He would return later in the day to check on his injuries.

“No way! You know _the_ Sadie Killer?! Dude! What is she like?!”

Steven chuckled at Wendy and Mabel asking him questions with stars in their eyes.

“Yeah, I actually was part of the band in the very beginning! I heard Sadie’s first song ever before anyone else outside of the band did.”

He was stocking everything up while the girls peppered him with more and more questions.

“What was it like in the beginning?”

“Well, it was kinda slow. But the first few songs really started getting attention and it kinda snowballed from there.”

The questions always paused when tourists or other Gravity Falls citizens arrived, but it was always the same pattern: Wendy would ask a question, then Mabel would.

As the latest customers happily left with arms full of merch, Mabel asked a question before Wendy could.

“Which song is your favorite? My favorite is Disobediant!”

“Ah, my favorite? Hmmm. That would have to be The Working Dead. Watching Sadie come up with the lyrics on the fly was _amazing_! Although, a close second would have to be Looking Forward. I know they’re not the same band, but it’s…a really important song to me.”

Mabel skipped over to help Steven stock some more hats and shirts as they spoke.

“Well, I was sad when the band broke up, but I’m glad they’re all doing so well!”

Wendy scoffed in the background, she was a huge fan of Sadie Killer and the Suspects, but not so much of the new duo that was taking the world by storm.

Steven took a deep breath.

“I know you don’t exactly _like_ them, Wendy, but they’re happy. The whole band is happy, and they do still get together every so often. When everyone’s schedules allow for it, anyway. I think I might actually have some Sadie Killer merch still, if you want it, actually.”

“Whoa, really dude?”

“Yep! I’m sure I’ve got plenty, now that I think about it. After all, my dad was the band manager!”

Wendy’s jaw dropped. There was no way that she was _that_ lucky. But her doubts were quelled when Steven ran upstairs and came back with two tshirts and two _signed_ posters. One each for the girls.

“Dude, holy shit. Thank you so much!”

Steven beamed at them, overjoyed that he was able to give them a little piece of something they loved.

“Mabel, could ya come help me in the kitchen?”

“Coming Grunkle Fidds!”

Mabel came skipping into the kitchen, and was only a little surprised when Ford caught her, only two steps through the doorway and spun her around. She giggled as he twirled her once more, before setting her back down.

“I’m guessing you know why we needed your help.”

“Is he refusing to take his meds _again_? And let me guess, he doesn’t want anybody messing with his arm now.”

Fiddleford nodded his head tiredly. He had clearly been struggling to get the teen to do what was necessary.

“Alright, I’ll see what I can do.”

“ **Dipper you egghead!** ”

She kicked the door open, as her hands were rather full. Dipper jumped, his glasses slipping down his face.

“You _have_ to take your meds, and we have to take care of your arm, you idiot.”

“Mabel-“

“Don’t you “Mabel” me, mister! Grunkle Fidds and Grunkle Ford are worried about you! And the more you do this, the more concerned they’ll be!”

“But-“

“Nope.”

“Ma-“

“nuh-uh.”

“Oh come o-“

“Dipper just shut up and let me help you. I’m sure those bandages need to be changed, and you need to eat. And I’m not leaving until all of this is taken care of.”

Dipper finally realized there was no way he was going to when this and decided to be silent while she shoved a sandwich into his good hand. She started unwrapping his right arm and paused only for a moment at the sight before she continued.

His arm was a gruesome sight and was sure to be covered in scars at the Summer’s end. Each tooth mark was clearly visible on his arm, down to the tiny ridges in the creature’s teeth.

Che carefully cleaned the entire length of his arm before she set about putting fresh bandages on. She was focused on her work, but she could clearly hear her twin munching away on his sandwich. As she finished wrapping his arm, she shoved a bottle of water and his meds towards him.

“There, are you happy now? I took my meds, I ate, and you changed my bandages. Can I get back to my journals now?”

“Ugh, fine, go do your nerdy shit, I’m going back downstairs.”

“Hey Wendy, do you ever feel like something is watching you here?”

“Oh man, I used to, but once you’ve lived through the apocalypse, nothing much bothers you.”

“Y-you **what**?”

“haha yeah, it was a weird year. That was the first Summer the twins spent here. But you should probably talk to Dipper about that, he’ll have some kind of theory for you in seconds.”

Steven thought for a few moments, straightening out the store.

“Have you ever heard of like…a talking triangle called Bill before?”

Wendy dropped everything she was holding, fear in her eyes.

“How do you know about him?”

“…I uh…used to have dreams about him when I was a kid. And he’d take me to see my mom and shit.”

“ _Stay away from him. And anything that has to do with him, he’ll use you and when he’s done, he’ll **kill** you._”

Steven suddenly felt very afraid. If that was true, then what had really happened when he was younger?

ͲའӋ ȺហᎠ ƑįƓԱའƐ įͲ ටԱͲ φįហҠӋ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STYMNSK HFS XYTU RJ STB UNSJ YWJJ


	7. I Fucked My Way Into This Mess, I'll Fuck My Way Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper does a dumb.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was gonna post this last night but my sister yote me to bed
> 
> SO HAVE THIS NOW

(this was drawn right before work so yes it's kinda shitty akshaskd)

How did he get into this mess? He was supposed to be in bed resting, but he was currently running away from several large creatures.

TWO HOURS EARLIER

“Okay, so if I can just find that statue of Bill, I’ll know that I can rest easy again. Maybe Mabel was right, and I _am_ just being paranoid.”

He thoughtfully chewed on his pen before glancing at his arm. Sure, it was kinda sore still, but he took pain medicine for it already, he could conceivably go out in the woods, find Bill’s statue and return before anyone noticed he was gone, right?

“I’ll only be gone for an hour or two…”

He silently thanked Mabel for fashioning a nice sling for him, even if it did cause some issues while he was getting ready for his trek through the woods.

“Okay, got my journals, pens, my phone. Oh, and some water. There. Perfect, now I just gotta sneak out back and pray that nobody sees me.”

He grabbed his hat and silently left the room. He could hear Mabel, Wendy and Steven all talking in the shop, which meant he should be able to sneak out from the back porch. He heard Stan and Ford discussing something with Fiddleford in the living room, which meant he should be able to sneak out unnoticed.

He held his breath until he was finally outside, and then he started running. He had a vague idea of where the statue _should_ be. He just hoped it was still there. If it wasn’t…

He shuddered. He didn’t even want to _consider_ that it could be gone. Because that would mean that somehow, Bill was back. He opened his journal to the pages where he had begun keeping notes on Bill’s statue and turned to follow his own directions. Of course, he had only theorized about where the statue should be, based on where the final battle had taken place, while factoring in the location they had found Stan.

He groaned as he moved through some dense brush and let out a frustrated growl as he noticed one of his markers. He was right back where he started!

“Dammit! This should _not_ be this difficult! This is where the fight started, for sure. There’s so many more mythological creatures and plants here! So where is it?!”

He punched a tree with his good hand and instantly regretted it.

“ _OW! MOTHER FUCK- “_

His yell attracted the attention of several creatures, each of which seemed to have grown even more weird, which he took to mean that the stature had to be around somewhere. But right now, he couldn’t be worrying about that.

“Oh shit.”

He was surrounded by these creatures, each one looking more ravenous than the last. He gripped his journal in his left arm, and turned, running at top speed. He knew where he was going, he had to.

“God, I’m such a dumbass, why did I come out here alone?!”

A loud roar made him rethink his current strategy of simply running from the beasts and he so he made a decision to use his right arm to hold his journal while he struggled to pull his phone out of his pocket.

The creatures were closer behind him now, he could hear them growling, could almost feel their hot breath on his back. He fumbled with his phone as he desperately tried to unlock it, only for it to drop out of his hand.

“ ** _Shit!_** ”

He couldn’t stop running, not with those creatures chasing him. He could feel his body growing more and more exhausted, he was supposed to be _resting_. But he wasn’t. And if he survived this, Mabel was going to kill him.

“What’s the matter Mabel?”

“I…I don’t know. I just kinda got the feeling that something was wrong.”

Steven looked at her worriedly, as they both thought for a moment and simultaneously realized that they hadn’t heard from Dipper at all.

“I’m…I’m gonna go check on him, can you watch the shop? I know Wendy’s on break, but I’ll be back soon!”

“Sure. Go check your brother.”

Steven rocked on the balls of his feet as he watched Mabel run through the living room, a sense of worry clouding the usual content feeling that surrounded the shack. He looked around, wondering what he was supposed to do when it was so slow. The first few days had been very busy, but it seemed to be winding down now.

He let his mind wander back to the dreams he’d been having recently. He couldn’t figure out why he was suddenly having dreams like that again.

“Dipper? Everything okay, bro?”

She spoke as she opened their bedroom door. It took her only a few moments to realize that three specific items were missing, not including her brother.

“Oh no, Dipper, you didn’t!”

Torn between fear and anger, she rushed back downstairs, running into Stan and Soos in the process. She could feel the hot tears building up in her eyes as they worriedly helped her up.

“What’s the matter, pumpkin?”

“Grunkle Stan, Dipper isn’t in his room! And his journals and phone are gone!”

“Now calm down. Take a deep breath. We’re gonna find him.”

Stan gently rubbed her shoulders, concern blossoming for his family. He ruffled her hair as he turned to speak to Soos.

“Soos, I think we need to close up the shop while we look for Dipper. Mabel, why don’t you get Ford and Fidds, sweetie?”

She rushed to the lab, nearly knocking Steven into Wendy in the process.

“Whoa! What-what’s going on?”

“Alright kid, my nephew apparently thought he knew better than the people who’ve actually studied medical shit. We gotta go find him now.”

Although Stan was trying to hide just how worried he was, it was clear in the way he spoke. Steven nodded his head as he watched the family running around grabbing flashlights, in the event that they end up looking for him past sunset.

But it wouldn’t come to that. At least they hoped it wouldn’t.

“Okay. Lost my phone. Hit my arm on a tree, hit my head on a different tree. And there are still monsters after me. **Great** job, Dipper. If these monsters don’t kill me, Mabel will.”

He sighed as he leaned up against the wall of a small alcove he had found. This was not at all how he had planned on his day going. Not even a little. He was positive he heard the distinctive noise a hide-behind makes, but he had no way of knowing for sure.

He sighed as he looked at his arm. Once again covered in blood, due to reopening his wounds once more, and possibly gaining more. He struggled to stretch his shoulders; they had been sore since he had taken a tumble down a hill roughly an hour ago.

“Well, I guess I just…have to wait until they find me.”

He could feel tears burning his eyes. Whether from frustration or pain, he wasn’t sure. He just knew that he had made so many dumb choices in such a short amount of time. At this point, he didn’t care if Mabel was going to kill him for being stupid. He just hoped she could find him before the monsters did.

“heh…all because I wanted to make sure Bill’s stupid fucking statue was still here.”

He sniffled quietly. He was cold and tired, but he knew he had to stay awake.

In case they came looking for him.

But he was too exhausted, and his wounds too great. And so, he slept.

“Dipper! Come on bro, where are you?!”

“Dude? Come on!”

Mabel was getting increasingly scared for her twin, everyone could tell. They all knew that Dipper had a knack for getting in trouble, but this was far more than something he would normally do.

“Mabel, pumpkin. Did he say anything to you recently that could give us a clue?”

She stopped looking and thought. And then she remembered.

“He’s been having these weird dreams about Bill again! Y-you don’t think…”

“Oh no. Kid…”

Steven froze at the mention of Bill, but nobody seemed to notice.

_Maybe they’re talking about a different Bill…_

“Alright, so we need to head into one of the areas that Dipper wanted to research this Summer. He said that he had seen very strange mutations to the already odd and dangerous creatures there. Let’s go.”

Ford called their search party together; he knew exactly where Dipper had been planning to begin his studies for the Summer.

“Now, this place is very dangerous everyone. There’s a very high chance that we will come out of this injured. Be prepared.”

_“Long time, no see, Pine Tree.”_

_Dipper glared at him, this was a dream, it had to be a dream._

_No, not a dream. **A nightmare.**_

_“Go ahead and try, Pine Tree. You’ll lose. You’re in the mindscape now, kid!”_

_Everything was blurring together._

_Mabel, laying bloody and bruised in front of him._

_Stan and Ford, each one destroyed in equally gruesome ways._

_Wendy, an axe in her stomach, the shapeshifter behind her._

_“Stop! Bill, stop this!”_

_It continued, only adding to the teen’s torment._

_“…please…please stop…”_

_He sobbed as he fell to his knees. It…it had to be a nightmare, right?_

**_So why couldn’t he wake up?_ **

Dipper’s unconscious form shivered in the coolness of the evening, and the monsters hungrily searched for him.

A Hide-behind watched the last spot it had seen Dipper, patiently waiting for a sign that the boy was still out there. There were several Gremloblins hunting for him as well, but they were much more reckless.

But deep within the alcove the boy was currently collapsed in, there lived another, more deadly creature that thirsted for his blood. It inched closer to the boy, the scent of his sweat drawing it out further.

The teen stirred suddenly, and the beast launched its attack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> XTTS DTZQQ GJ RD UZUUJY KTWJAJW UNSJ YWJJ


	8. There Are Weirder Ways To Learn About Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven shares a secret, Ford needs rest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I WANTED SO BADLY TO POST THIS LAST NIGHT BC I HAVE NO PATIENCE BUT HERE HAVE THIS

It was dark outside. They had been searching for hours, with no sign of Dipper. Steven looked around at the strange forest, and couldn’t help but wonder what happened to cause such a thing.

“Guys! I found his phone!”

Mabel’s voice carried loudly through the trees, resulting in an echo that brought the rest of the group towards her.

“It’s cracked. Oh my god. Grunkle Stan! What….what if he’s hurt? What if…”

“Mabel, calm down sweetie. We’re going to find him. I swear to god, we _will_ find him.”

She clung to Stan, fear far overpowering her anger at her brother. She just wanted to find him _alive_. And the longer they couldn’t find him, the more likely it was that he could get killed.

“Hey, what’s that over there?”

Steven’s question brought their attention back to the task at hand, as he crouched down, looking at something.

They could all hear a fierce growling sound emanating from beneath the brush that Steven was moving, but he didn’t seem to care. He moved it faster when he caught a glimpse of it. Or rather, when he saw what the beast was attempting to eat.

“ **Guys! Get over here _now_!**”

Steven’s urgently called out to the rest of the search party, he had seen Dipper, and he needed back up. Mabel was the first to join him, yanking the brush out of the way. The second she saw her brother, her fury made itself known to the beast.

“ _Get the hell away from my brother_!”

Stan and Ford rushed over, Stan tumbling headfirst through what little brush was left, landing directly on top of the beast.

Ford swiftly ended the beast’s life, before taking a look at his nephew. He was covered in blood, the sling he had been wearing had been thoroughly destroyed by the beast, and he seemed to have a concussion of sorts.

“Dipper, my dear boy, what _happened_?”

He carefully lifted up the frail body of his nephew, while Stan scurried back up with the help of Steven and Mabel.

When Mabel saw her brother, limp in Ford’s arms, covered in his own blood, she screamed. A pained, ear piercing scream.

When they arrived back at the shack, Ford and Fiddleford took Dipper down to the lab. Stan comforted Mabel as they waited for news of how the teen was.

“Grunkle Stan?”

“Yes pumpkin.”

“Dipper’s still alive, right? I…I would have known if he wasn’t, wouldn’t I?”

“If you and him are anything like Ford and I were, then yes. I’m sure Ford and Fidds are gonna fix him all up. And we killed the fucking monster that did this to him.”

She snuggled into his shoulder, allowing her tears to run freely once more.

“Grunkle Stan, what if he doesn’t wake up?”

At that moment, Steven walked through the door.

“Um, where’s Dipper? I have something that might help.”

He held up a bottle of soft pink liquid, and gestured for Mabel to come over.

“What is that stuff, Steven?”

“You’ll see. You said you got a lot of scratches on your arm, can I see?”

She held out her arm, which had not yet been bandaged. He carefully used a dropper and put a few drops on her injuries. Before their eyes, her wounds closed, only leaving behind very small marks, which she assumed would become scars.

She looked up at him, stars in her eyes as she grabbed his shirt sleeve and tugged him into the basement.

“Grunkle Ford, Grunkle Fidds! Steven has something that can help!!”

“Mabel, dear, you shouldn’t be down here. We’ll call you when-“

She shoved Steven into Ford, nearly causing him to drop the precious bottle.

“Look at my arm! It’s healed! Please, Grunkle Ford, just try it?”

He sighed, glancing behind him. Dipper was not doing well, and he didn’t have many options.

“Very well, Mabel. We’ll try it. Now please, go back upstairs.”

Steven gently put his arm around her, leading her back to living room, where Soos and Melody had joined Stan and Wendy. She was so tired and worried for her twin.

“Come on, lets get some rest, okay?”

He led her to the couch, and had her sit down next to Stan. Wendy was in a dining chair, head in her hands.

“How is he, Mabel?”

“Grunkle Ford wouldn’t let me see him…but I hope that that magic healing stuff Steven gave us works.”

_Where am I?_

_It’s dark._

_And cold._

_And I’m alone._

_“No you’re not, Pine Tree!”_

_I know that voice. It’s Bill. But I’m not afraid._

_The last thing I remember…_

_Was being hunted._

_Am…am I dead?_

_Is this what dying is like?_

_Your worst nightmare and your best dream all at once?_

_I miss Mabel. I can feel her, she’s close, but I can’t see her._

_Where is she?_

_“You’ll be my puppet when you die, kid.”_

_“No I won’t, my body would rot much too fast for you to use it.”_

_I feel so calm._

_Peaceful._

_I can see a bright light in the distance._

_Is that where I’m meant to go?_

_“Not a chance, Pine Tree!”_

_I ignore him. This place is calling out to me._

_I need to go._

_I start walking._

_It’s almost like I’m under water._

_I’m nearly to the surface when I suddenly feel burning pain throughout my body._

_I retreat and it stops._

_It’s so painful._

_But then I hear my family._

_They’re calling out to me._

_I hear my sister screaming in pain._

_I grit my teeth and walk towards the light._

_Nobody messes with my family._

“Come on Dipper, you’re almost there. You can do it.”

Ford had noticed an increase in Dipper’s movement and he began stimulating his hands, hoping he would wake up.

The substance Steven had provided had worked. But not entirely. The boy was covered in scars, and he still lay in a coma it seemed like. He sighed tiredly. He and Fiddleford had worked hard all through the night to assure the teen’s survival.

A soft knock at the door brought him out of his own mind. Looking up, he saw Mabel. His niece. Steven had offered to stay up with her until she could fall asleep, and everyone had been surprised when they saw Mabel cuddled into Steven’s shoulder, sleeping peacefully.

“How…how is he? Did the stuff Steven gave you help?”

“It helped considerably. Have a look, my dear. The bleeding has stopped, but the scars will remain forever. He lost so much blood last night, and he does appear to have a concussion.”

“But shouldn’t that stuff have helped?”

“We used it on his life-threatening injuries, my dear. There was no more left by then.”

She looked from Ford to her twin worriedly, she would sell her very soul if it meant her twin would be okay. Suddenly, she had an idea.

“Grunkle Ford, maybe he has more? Or knows where we can get more?”

“You’re more than welcome to ask your friend, dear. We just have to hope it will work.”

He sighed as she quietly walked to the stairs. It had been a long night for everyone. He and Fiddleford had worked all night to tend to Dipper, never taking a break for fear he’d stop breathing if left alone.

“Steven? Do…do you have any more of that stuff?”

He looked up at her wide eyed. The bottle he had given them should have been more than enough to save Dipper. He thought for only a few moments before he responded.

“Hang on, let me see if I have any more, okay?”

Standing, he looked at the worried expression on Mabel’s face. He knew he had to find a way to help out more. He didn’t want her brother to die!

_Mabel? Where are you?_

_Please._

_I want to go home._

_I want to see my family._

_Let me go!_

_“ **Never. You’re mine now.** ”_

_Bill. Let me go, you can’t keep me here forever._

_He keeps pulling me back every time I get close to the surface._

_I was so close. It hurt, but I was almost there._

_And then he forced me back under._

_I have to go._

_I can’t stay here much longer, I can feel it._

_“ **You’re really trying this shit again, kid?!**”_

_I don’t answer him this time._

_I focus on getting to the surface._

_I hear Grunkle Ford talking to me softly._

_Every part of my body feels like it’s on fire._

_I keep pushing._

_Oh god, it hurts so badly._

_Please._

_Whatever god is listening, please, let me go home._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NQQ SJAJW QJY DTZ LT UNSJ YWJJ
> 
> STY JAJS UNSPD BNQQ GJ FGQJ YT GWNSL DTZ GFHP BMJS NR ITSJ


	9. Unfortunately, I am alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Against all odds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAVE THIS

_I’m not sure where I am anymore. Bill stopped talking._

_I think I can hear my family talking to me. But I can’t understand what they’re saying._

_I just want to go home._

“Hey Dipper? Remember how you’ve always looked out for me? Like our first Summerween together, even though I was mad at you, you still helped me.”

Mabel sniffled, holding his hand.

“Grunkle Ford said that maybe talking to you, or…or telling you stories would help.”

Steven watched from the doorway. He couldn’t understand why his ‘healing potion’ didn’t work properly. He was beginning to panic. He took out his phone, and quickly walked to his room. He had to know if this had ever happened with _her_.

“Pearl?”

“ _Steven! It’s so good to hear your voice! Is something wrong?_ ”

“Um…kinda…”

“ _Oh stars, what’s wrong?_ ”

“Did…did mom’s healing tears ever _not_ work? Like for no reason, they just didn’t work on a _human_?”

“ _Well, humans **are** different from gems. I can’t recall her powers ever not working. Is…is everything okay?_”

“Pearl, one of my new friends got hurt really badly. And my powers aren’t working all the way. He-he won’t wake up. He’s alive, but he’s not waking up. His injuries are mostly healed, but he’s still scarred as well.”

“ _It sounds like what happened was rather severe, Steven. It’s possible that what you think is enough, isn’t quite. His injuries could also be internal._ ”

He paled. Internal injuries meant it was _bad_.

“Do you remember when you told Pacifica you’d only help her if the girls and I got invites to her parents party? Heh…it wasn’t too long after that that we got to meet Grunkle Ford. I know that what happened that night was a mess. And we all got turned to wood. But…you and Pacifica worked together. You brought us all back to life.”

She felt a tear slide down her cheek as she continued talking to her twin.

“Do you remember when I almost had to get married to garden gnomes? I didn’t listen to you back then, but you still came rushing in to try and help me.”

She felt his hand twitch in hers. Gasping, she stared intently at his face. Still the same peaceful face he’d had for the past two days now.

“…come on bro-bro…”

_I can hear Mabel. She’s…telling me stories? Maybe, just maybe I’ll be able to move._

_It’s like I’m walking through mud, it’s so difficult. The more I move, the clearer I can hear Mabel._

_I’m so close. But then I feel rockets of pain shoot through my body and I stop._

_She’s muffled again._

_And then I realized something._

_If I wanna go home, I’m gonna have to go through all of this pain._

_I can’t avoid it._

_I turn to the ‘surface’. I’m going to get out of here._

_It’s hard to move, and it only gets harder. I can see a bright light before me, and I can hear Mabel calling my name._

_I’m almost there!_

_I have to get out of here. I’m coming Mabel!_

“Grunkle Ford!!”

Mabel’s panicked yelling brought the entire house into her and Dipper’s room. There they saw Dipper seemingly struggling to wake.

“Keep talking to him, my dear.”

She nodded before she picked up his hand again.

“Dip-dop, come on. You can do it. Come on!”

They all watched with bated breath as she quietly urged him to wake up.

_Mabel? I’m coming. I’m coming!_

_I can do this, I have to get back home!_

_I take a deep breath before I make the final jump into the light._

_I’m nearly there._

Dipper let out a soft groan before he managed to open his eyes.

“DIPPER! You’re okay?! You’re back!”

Mabel threw herself into his arms, tears freely rolling down her cheeks.

“… _Mabel, OW!_ That hurts!”

She quickly stood back up, allowing him to see the rest of the room, where Wendy, Soos, Melody, Fiddleford, Ford, Stan and Steven all stood, relieved looks on their tired faces.

“Wh-what happened? The last thing I remember…was having the revelation that I was a dumbass.”

Mabel couldn’t stop herself from a laughing scoff.

“ _you think?!_ ”

He winced. Here comes the lecture.

“What were you thinking?! Going out into the most dangerous part of the forest, ALONE, while you’re HURT?!”

“Yeah, kid, that was pretty fucking reckless.”

“I uh…I just….wanted to make sure Bill’s statue was still there?”

The response he was given was a chorus of:

“ ** _DIPPER_** ”

“Have you lost your _mind_?!”

None of them had ever seen Ford look so angry and worried at the same time. He briskly walked over to the bed, before dropping to his knees.

“Dipper, we thought you were going to die. **Never** do anything like this again.”

He gripped Dipper’s shoulders lightly as he finished speaking. It was then that Dipper noticed the tears in his eyes.

“I-I won’t. Ever again. I promise.”

He decided to leave his questions about however long he had been out for a later time. He was, however, very curious about how his right arm seemed to be entirely healed already. Surely he hadn’t been out _that_ long, right?

“How…how are you feeling bro-bro?”

“Like my entire body is on fire while simultaneously being pulled apart.”

“Oh wow. Well, let’s get you some food and something to drink and some pain meds and Grunkle Fidds and Grunkle Ford can check you up! Come on Steven, let’s go find some stuff!”

With that, she pulled Steven out of the room and Ford cleared his throat, indicating to the others that they needed to leave the room, which they promptly did.

“Grunkle Ford? Did…did you guys find the statue while you were out there?”

“No, Dipper. We were far more focused on finding _you_. Why are you so intent on finding it?”

“w-well…I’ve been having these dreams again. But they don’t feel…normal? A-and while I was out…I heard Bill. H-he was talking about me being his puppet when I die?”

Ford froze at Dipper’s words. He made a mental note about finding the statue asap, and assuring that it was indeed still where it belonged.

“Don’t worry about it Dipper. It’s likely that you were simply having fever dreams. You’re awake now though. How does your arm feel?”

“It still hurts, but a lot less than before. What…How long was I out?”

“Only a few days, Dipper. Steven managed to find something that seemed to heal you for the most part.”

Ford didn’t miss the suspicious glint in Dipper’s eyes the moment he mentioned Steven. He had noticed the teen seemed to be rather distrusting of the newest addition to the shack.

“Now, he saved your life, Dipper. He deserves your respect, if nothing else.”

Ford quirked an eyebrow up as he carefully examined Dipper’s scars. The skin was still very soft and new, but very scarred.

“Grunkle Ford?”

“Yes, my boy?”

“Bill _is_ dead, right?”

“Yes, Mason. Bill is dead.”

It wasn’t often that Ford used Dipper’s real name, so it most certainly caught Dipper’s attention. Ford would never lie to him about something like that.

“Bro-bro! We got you some food and some milk!”

Ford smiled fondly at his niece and Steven, as they brought Dipper his food and drink. Steven set down the milk on the table, and Mabel sat down on the edge of his bed, offering her assistance in eating his food, as she was sure his arms were still very sore.

Steven paced across his room, confusion running rampant in his mind. He and Mabel had managed to sneak some of the ‘healing potion’ into Dipper’s food, to heal any internal injuries he may have sustained. But now Steven was going to be left with how to come up with an explanation for _how_ and _why_.

“Oh my god, how am I going to explain that? “Uh yeah, my mom was an alien and I inherited her magical healing powers!” I can’t just say that, I mean _come on_! These people live here, and Mabel was telling me about how Dipper and Ford are like, _obsessed_ with the weird shit!”

He groaned quietly, gripping his hair tightly. Maybe if he just talked with Connie a little bit, they could come up with a plan together.

“ _Steven? It’s pretty late for you right now, is everything okay?_ ”

“Connie, uh…how…how would I go about explaining my healing powers without giving away that I’m a hybrid?”

She froze on the screen, a look of worry rapidly spreading across her face.

“ _Steven, what’s going on? Is someone threatening you or something?_ ”

“Uh…not-not exactly? Dipper got hurt, so I used my powers to make a bottle of healing water and shit, and now he’s awake and Mabel was telling me all about how he and their Grunkle are both obsessed with weird shit.”

“ _Well, ummm. Oh, I know!_ ”

“What?”

“ _Just say that you have a bunch of healing water because of the fountain!_ ”

“That’s a great idea Connie! I knew you’d have great ideas! I gotta go get some sleep now, I love you!”

She chuckled before waving.

“ _I love you too Steven, I’ll call you tomorrow!_ ”

Steven set his phone down, visibly calmer now that he’d talked with Connie. He now had a way to explain his ‘healing potion’. Looking at himself in the mirror, he realized he really did need to start getting more sleep.

“Come on Steven, Dipper’s okay now, you can rest easy now!”

He flopped onto his bed and almost fell asleep before he remembered he was still wearing his day clothes.

“god dammit…”

He groaned as he stood back up and made his way to his bag before heading to the bathroom. He carefully removed the earrings he had worn that day, remembering the last time he forgot to take them off.

Mabel carefully tucked the blankets back around her now sleeping brother. With the help of Ford, she had managed to get him to eat all of his food, along with his milk and some water. She sighed worriedly, as she brushed her fingers across his forehead, making sure his temperature hadn’t risen.

“Dip-dop, you’ve gotta stop pulling this shit.”

She squeezed his hand lightly before she gathered some of her things and went downstairs. She stopped in the bathroom to change into her pjs on her way to the living room, where she could hear Stan, Ford, Soos and Melody all talking quietly.

“Mabel, how’re you holding up sweetie?”

“I-I guess? I just…wish he wouldn’t do this shit anymore! He did stuff like this last Summer too!”

Stan reached out an arm, gesturing for her to come forwards. He pulled her into his arms and held her closely, listening to her quiet ranting that quickly turned into tears.

The others took the cue to leave the room, knowing that Mabel needed this time with Stan. She sniffled as he gently brushed his fingers over her hair.

“Shh, it’s okay Mabel. He’s okay.”

She couldn’t stop the tears from falling as she clung to Stan, finally allowing the emotions of the past few days to fully appear. Stan did everything he could to help his niece, which he still felt wasn’t anywhere near enough.

Melody and Soos were discussing when they should reopen the shop, as they had kept it closed for several days now. Ford sat with them in the kitchen, sipping a cup of tea in an attempt to calm his own nerves.

The past few days had been stressful for all of them. Fiddleford had left to get some groceries for the house, as no one else had been able to get anything for them since they had found Dipper.

He didn’t notice Soos and Melody grow quiet, at least not until Soos carefully picked him up and carried him to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DTZ RFD MFAJ JXHFUJI YMNX YNRJ UNSJ YWJJ
> 
> NQQ RFPJ DTZ F HTWUXJ DJY


	10. I Have A Crush On A WHAT?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven does something...unexpected

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HERE HAVE THIS I WROTE IT AT LIKE 7 AM

Dipper had a problem. A very big problem. And that problem happened to be: he seemed to have developed a crush on the strange new addition to the Mystery Shack. Which had only made him more curious about the older boy.

“Dipper, why don’t you just _talk_ to him?”

“Mabel! I’m pretty sure he has a girlfriend, there’s no point in me saying anything anyway!”

She groaned at his response. She knew that Steven had a girlfriend, but she also knew that this was going to eat Dipper up on the inside all Summer if he didn’t confront it.

If she was being honest, she was actually overjoyed he was focusing on something that was at least in the shack while he was recovering. It’s been a week since he woke up, and he seemed to be healing at an accelerated rate that baffled Ford.

She had been the first to notice Dipper staring at Steven, which at first she had attributed to him being curious about him, but once she saw him blushing at Steven she _knew_. She had picked up on the two boys spending more time together lately, but Steven seemed to be utterly clueless about Dipper’s crush on him.

She watched as Dipper paced back and forth in their room, scribbling something in one of his journals. It didn’t take a genius to know that he was likely writing something about Steven. Once he heard that Steven had access to a healing fountain and had saved his life with the water from it, he has started writing down every little thing that seemed strange about the older boy. Mabel had managed to sneak a peek at his journals, and couldn’t help giggling at how many pages had been filled with Steven.

“Look Dip, just talk to him about it. You’ll feel better about it once you do, just like you did with Wendy!”

He let out an annoyed groan at the reminder of how awkward that day had been. And how many nightmares he _still_ had because of the Shapeshifter. He stopped pacing before he glared at Mabel, who only stuck her tongue out at him.

“Mabel, I’m not gonna tell him, it’ll be so fucking awkward. Imagine that! “hi Steven, I have a crush on you even though I know you have a girlfriend!” I can’t just _tell_ him Mabel!”

She sighed deeply, remembering exactly how well that had worked for him in the past. She grinned at him when she thought of something else.

“Y’know, there’s a party tonight to celebrate the reopening of the shop…You could always just ask him to go to the party with you. I mean, he’ll be there anyways…”

Dipper’s face turned a deep red at Mabel’s words. He started chewing on his pen nervously, and she knew he was actually considering it, which isn’t what she had been expecting.

“Just go and ask him, Dipper!”

With that, she shoved him out the door, mindful of the still sore injuries.

“Woah, so you guys actually have parties like this kinda often? Cool!”

Soos had been telling Steven stories about all the parties he had attended in the shack before, and Steven had been listening with stars in his eyes. They were almost done putting up decorations when they heard Mabel and Dipper apparently having an argument over something.

“Uh…should we do something about that?”

“Nah dude, it should be fine. They’re probably arguing about Dipper’s journals again, dude.”

Steven shrugged as he tried to finish putting up the banner that he and Mabel had created for the occasion. Soos ran off to the back to get more tape, leaving Steven balancing on the ladder alone. Suddenly he heard Dipper come crashing in, clearly on the run from his twin.

Dipper realized a little too late that he was on a collision course with Steven’s ladder. He was moving way too fast to stop, and he knocked into the ladder, knocking Steven off. Panicking, Dipper reached out to try and catch Steven, and was astonished at how light the older boy was. He stumbled a little, almost falling over, but managed to catch himself in time. Mabel got downstairs in just enough time to see Dipper holding Steven bridal style, and she couldn’t help but quickly snap a picture, thankful she had been preparing to take pictures of the two anyway.

“OHMYGODSTEVENAREYOUOKAY?!”

Dipper was far too panicked to even realize that Mabel was snapping multiple pictures while he was struggling to make sure the older boy was okay.

“Dipper, calm down, I’m okay! See, you caught me?”

Steven couldn’t help but laugh as Dipper’s face quickly went from it’s usual pale tone to brilliant red. Dipper, on the other hand, carefully put Steven back down and mumbled something.

“What did you say Dip?”

“uh I uh….I said….WOULDYOUGOTOTHEPARTYWITHMESTEVEN?”

“Of course!”

Mabel rushed back into the kitchen, nearly running into Melody before she collapsed into a mess of laughter. Dipper never noticed his twin, and was now looking at Steven with stars in his eyes. Did…did he just say yes?

“Wait, really?”

“Yes? Why wouldn’t I say yes?”

Steven laughed at Dipper’s reaction. And then he noticed the banner was starting to fall off the wall. Just then Soos came running into the room, tape dispenser in hand.

“I got more tape dude! Whoa, what happened?”

He asked, gesturing to fallen ladder, falling banner and flushed Dipper.

“Uh, the uh…ladder fell. Yeah.”

Steven snorted as he nodded his head in the affirmative. Dipper picked up the ladder, and Steven climbed back up, putting the banner back where it was meant to be, and Soos handed him the tape. Once the banner was up, the trio stood back to look at it. It looked perfect.

“Whoa, Mabel, what happened?”

Mabel couldn’t even try to contain her laughter as she tried to explain what had just occurred in the living room. Melody was concerned at first, but when Mabel pointed behind her, she took a peek into the living room and saw Dipper, beet red, talking to Steven, and it clicked.

“Mabel oh my gosh, did he finally say something to Steven?”

“He asked him to the party!”

Melody gasped loudly and clapped her hands together. It seemed like everyone knew about Dipper’s crush _except_ for Steven. Naturally, Melody and Mabel were very proud of Dipper, but they weren’t exactly sure if Steven realized that he had basically agreed to a date or not.

“I’m so excited for Dipper, I’m sure he’s gonna spend at least an hour in front of the mirror making sure he looks good!”

Mabel joked, and Melody could only nod her head while laughing. She had heard _all_ the stories from the twins’ first Summer in Gravity Falls. Mabel had made sure to tell her about all the times Dipper had tried to be ‘cool’ in front of Wendy.

The two watched from the doorway as Dipper, Steven and Soos continued preparing the living room for the party.

“Connie oh my god, I think I agreed to go on a date with Dipper!?”

“ _Haha, Steven, calm down! It’s okay!_ ”

Once Steven had gone to his own room to get ready for the party, he had the chance to think about what Dipper had said. Once he realized, he called Connie in a panic.

“How did I manage to not notice that?! GAAAH!”

He flopped on his bed, causing a rather interesting view for Connie. She laughed even harder, knowing Steven.

“ _Steven, just go on the date with the kid! I trust you. Plus, from what you’ve told me, it’s pretty obvious he has a crush on you, so maybe talk to him?_ ”

“ **He what** ”

“ _pffft- Steven, Dipper has a crush on you, you didn’t notice?_ ”

Connie couldn’t stop laughing at the look on Steven’s face.

“Oh my _god_. CONNIE WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME?!”

“ _I thought you knew!!_ ”

She giggled as she watched Steven scream internally. She really thought he actually had noticed. Clearly, he had not. 

“ _Steven, calm down! You just need to let him down gently. There’s nothing wrong with you doing what you already agreed to. But-you have to tell me **everything**. I’m so excited to hear all about this!_”

Steven groaned into his pillow. Just how clueless _was_ he?

“Okay okay, I’ll tell you how it goes and everything. But now I gotta know, what should I _wear_?!”

Mabel sat cross-legged on the floor of hers and Dipper’s room, judging Dipper’s outfit for the night, per his request.

“Dipper, we’ve talked about the V-necks…”

He groaned before changing into a short-sleeved button up shirt.

“Oh, that’s much better. Now come here.”

She reached up and ruffled his hair a little bit, not quite enough to show his birthmark, but enough to make it look good, in her opinion. The final touch she added was a simple dark blue bow tie, and a spritz of cologne that she borrowed from Fiddleford.

“There! Now _I_ need to get ready Dip.”

“Thanks Mabel! I uh…I guess I’ll go help out with the last minute shit?”

“Yeah, I’m sure they could use some help!”

And so he went downstairs, where he assisted Melody in making sure the tables were full of snacks and drinks.

“Okay, how about this one, Connie?”

“ _A crop top? I thought you didn’t want them to know about the whole gem thing?_ ”

“Ugh, good point. Ooh, what about this one?”

He quickly switched from the crop top to a light purple dress that came to an end at the middle of his thighs.

“ _hmm. Are you gonna wear leggings? Oh, and I think that the star earrings will go great with this outfit!_ ”

Steven put his hand on his chin thoughtfully, before rushing off to put on leggings and grabbing his small box of jewelry.

“Okay, how about this? And I have my jewelry right here, so lets get this all figured out!”

He held up a few different pieces of jewelry, and acted offended each time she said no, but then laughed as he put it away.

“ _So, the star ones, and then that locket I got you for jewelry! Are you gonna wear makeup tonight too?_ ”

“Hmmm. You know what, I think I will! What colors should I wear?”

“ _Well, you’re wearing pastel purple it looks like, so maybe some light blues and greens? Oh I know! Remember when Sadie and Shep helped us do our makeup for pride last year?_ ”

“Oh yeah! That’s perfect!”

Connie watched as Steven carefully applied the makeup, attempting to mimic Shep’s amazing blending skills with his own eyeshadow. Steven grinned at Connie after he looked at his reflection

“ _Steven oh my god you look gorgeous!_ ”

“Why thank you, my fair knight!”

She snorted at the old nickname, and giggled even more when Steven gave a glamorous curtsy, now that his look had been completed. She was momentarily distracted when her roommates came crashing though the door, and all squealed when they realized she was talking with Steven.

“ _Oh my god is that Steven?!_ ”

“ _Cooooonnniiiiieeeee he looks so good!_ ”

Now it was Steven’s turn to giggle, as Connie desperately tried to calm her two roommates down.

“ _Guys come on, chill! He’s getting ready for a party!_ ”

“Oh, that reminds me, I’m gonna be late if I don’t hurry up! Bye Connie I love you so much, my knight!”

The two other girls squealed once again, and Steven knew they were going to tease Connie all night for that.

“ _Goodnight, my **liege** , I love you too! I’ll talk to you later, don’t forget you promised to tell me all about the party!_”

Connie turned off her video and the last thing Steven heard as she did so was the two others screaming about how cute he and Connie were. He grinned as he hugged himself tightly. He was happy he had been learning how to love himself again. Slipping on his favorite deep blue pumps, he went downstairs.

Dipper was in the midst of arranging a few plates and bowls on one of the tables when he turned around just in time to see Steven enter the room.

_Oh my god he looks amazing._

Dipper felt his face flush once again as Steven walked towards him.

“Hey Dipper, you look great!”

“I-I uh…uh… y-you look amazing, Steven!”

Dipper couldn’t keep himself from stumbling over his words, and all Steven could do was giggle and thank him.

“Y’know, my girlfriend helped me decide on this outfit, I’m glad you like it!”

Steven twirled around, laughing as his dress flowed around him. Steven didn’t miss the slightly disappointed face Dipper made.

“Hey, it’s okay. We can still be friends, don’t worry. Besides, she gave me permission to go on this date with you anyway!”

Dipper blushed even deeper, and Steven grinned wider. It was almost time for the party to begin. He took Dipper by the hand and pulled him to the porch where everyone was getting ready to enter. Steven had gotten used to the stares by now, and he no longer cared _as much_ about them, but he certainly noticed Dipper glaring at anyone who dared stare at him, and he just adored how protective he was of him. It reminded him of Connie.

“Guys, gals, enby pals! Welcome to the grand reopening of the Mystery Shack!!”

Mabel’s announcement officially began the party. Only seconds after she yelled to the entire shack, Pacifica grabbed her so they could dance. At first, Steven felt a little out of place, with Dipper insisting on escorting him everywhere, on the off chance that there were homophobes hanging around the party.

Dipper had given Soos several Sadie Killer and the Suspects records to play for the party, and the first song to be played was ‘Disobedient’. Steven took Dipper’s hand and led him to the dance floor. The other dancers cleared the floor as they started dancing, clearly enjoying themselves.

Steven spun Dipper around, and rather than Dipper landing on the floor, there was a blinding flash of light, and instead of seeing Dipper and Steven, the crowd only saw what appeared to be a combination of the two boys.

“Whoa. What?”

This new person was taller than even Ford, and their clothes appeared to be a mixture of Steven’s and Dipper’s.

A button up shirt that was tucked into a pastel purple skirt, black shorts, and makeup that was complimented perfectly by the streaks of blue in their shoulder length hair. They had two sets of eyes _and_ two sets of arms, and at first everyone stared at them, but they paid no mind.

“I mean, weirder things have happened to me-us?”

“Whoa! So…who-who are you?”

Mabel came running up to ask them a question.

“Hm. Well, I’m not quite Steven _or_ Dipper…I know what my name is! Dipven!”

Mabel squealed at the name and was fast to drag them over to a more secluded area as the dance floor began to get even more crowded. She wanted to dance with them, and so did Pacifica.

“This is so cool, Dipven! So like…what is this like?”

“Hm, well, Steven has done this before, lots of times! And I can tell that I’m stable, which is pretty amazing! Dipper on the other hand is kinda freaking out, but Steven’s calming him down!”

Mabel listened intently as she danced with her friend/twin combo. She could easily tell which arms belonged to her twin and which ones belonged to Steven.

As they twirled her around, she couldn’t help but giggle at how embarrassed Dipper was going to be after the party was over.

_“whoa, what is this?”_

_“Holy **shit**! I didn’t think we’d **fuse**!”_

_“Steven?”_

_“Dipper! We fused!”_

_“Wh-what does that mean?”_

_“It means that we just created a new person. And their name is Dipven!”_

_“ what.”_

_“Just don’t question it. I mean look! We’re stable! And we have FOUR ARMS AND EYES!”_

_“WE WHAT”_

_“No, it’s okay, look!”_

_“We’re…dancing with Mabel?”_

_“Yeah, see? We’re okay. Just take a deep breath.”_

_“O-okay.”_

_“See? Feel a little better?”_

_“Yeah…so…what exactly is this?”_

_“When I, or people like me, fuse with others, a new person is created. Or rather, an experience. Our fusion is their own person. So Dipven is us, but they can only access our memories if we **want** to share them all.”_

_“Whoa…”_

_“Yeah, it’s pretty cool, isn’t it? Honestly, I’m kinda surprised we didn’t split immediately, I thought you would’ve gotten kinda scared and wanted to be back to normal asap.”_

_“Actually…this is kinda nice. I feel…safe?”_

_“I mean, that’s good. It’s probably one of the reasons why we’re still stable.”_

_“Fascinating. Oh I wish I could write about this in my journals…”_

_“We can always fuse again, you know?”_

_“R-really?!”_

_“Haha, yep!”_

“So Dipven, how long do you think you’ll be here?”

Mabel was beyond curious, but was doing her best to keep her curiosity respectful to Dipven. They seemed to think deeply about that question for a few moments before answering.

“Actually, Dipper and Steven are getting tired pretty fast from being me, so we’re gonna go into Steven’s room and unfuse really quick. But don’t worry, I’ll be back!”

Mabel and Pacifica watched in awe as they left the room, and soon Dipper and Steven returned, very visibly disheveled despite their best efforts to fix their clothing and hair. When they noticed Mabel looking at them, Dipper gave her a goofy grin, and Steven laughed.

This party had gone _way_ better than either of them thought it would. And they had still managed to have a talk about the fact that Steven was dating Connie! They even took a selfie to show her later that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UNSPD HFS KZXJ BNYM UNSJ YWJJ
> 
> MTB HFS N ZXJ YMNX XMFQQ BJ XJJ


	11. Pain, Suffering and The Day From Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for the REAL angst to begin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS SO MUCH SHORTER THAN I WANTED BUT I INJURED MYSELF AT WORK SO PLS ENJOY THIS SHORT CHAPTER

The next morning, something felt off to Steven. He was a bit more tired than normal, but he figured that it was because he fused with someone knew the previous night. But he couldn’t shake the chills he felt all day.

Once Dipper had woken up, he had joined Steven in the shop, filled to the brim with questions about fusion. Steven had had difficulty focusing, and Dipper was quick to pick up on it. He wasn’t sure what it was, but something was bothering Steven. After fusing with him, he seemed to be able to pick up on many of the little things that Steven would do, including a handful of coping mechanisms that would otherwise be seen as normal.

“Steven, are you okay? You…seem like somethings bothering you?”

Dipper looked at the older boy, a worried expression on his normally inquisitive face. Steven gave him a small smile, attempting to reassure him that everything was okay. Rather than returning the smile, Dipper’s expression seemed to grow even more worried.

“Steven, something is wrong, I can tell. What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing, Dipper, I’ve just been having some nightmares lately is all. Maybe I’ll tell you about it sometime. But not now. You had questions about how fusion works, right?”

Dipper was still worried, but he made the decision to respect Steven. He promised himself he would pay closer attention to his new friend, but for the moment, he began to excitedly ask questions.

He never realized just how intense the consequences of not asking more would be. Their day started out like a dream, but they could scarcely comprehend how horrible it would become.

Mabel hadn’t been able to stop adoring the ‘fusion’ called Dipven, and she pondered the possibilities of attempting to fuse with Pacifica. But she couldn’t avoid thinking about the many times they had danced in the past and not fused. She sighed as she continued working on a special batch of Mabel Juice to bring to Pacifica while she was at work.

“She doesn’t like the extra sugar, and she prefers it to be half no sugar and half regular…”

She mumbled to herself as Stan quietly flipped pancakes for everyone else. He glanced over at her, concern peeking through his rough exterior. She had been more quiet ever since the incident a week ago.

“Pumpkin, how’re you holding up? You’ve been not as annoying lately.”

“Grunkle Stan, why does Dipper do that shit? I just…wish he would realize how important he is to us. To _me_. A-and I wanna know about fusion too! I…kinda was wondering if Pacifica-“

She gasped and covered her mouth, she was supposed to keep it a secret!

“Mabel, I’ve know you two were dating since last Winter when you came to visit. You don’t have to hide it from me, and I’ll keep your secret.”

He winked at her, and she visibly relaxed before running over to hug him tightly. He would never do anything to hurt his little gremlin. She kissed him on the cheek before she turned to finish making a small lunch and Mabel Juice for Pacifica.

Stan smiled as he watched her doing what she did best, taking care of the people she cared about. He could hear Ford and Fiddleford talking about their plans for the day as they walked through the living room. The Summer was finally officially starting to be great again. He sighed as he continued with the pancakes after waving Mabel off.

“Huh, something feels…kinda strange today. Hah! It’s probably nothin’!”

He couldn’t have been more wrong.

Mabel arrived at the diner at eleven am sharp, but was surprised to see that Pacifica wasn’t there, as she said she’d be. Confused and a little worried, Mabel approached Lazy Susan.

“Hey, isn’t Pacifica working today?”

“Oh, she didn’t tell you? Well here she comes now, you might want to talk to her, Mabel.”

Mabel looked in the direction Lazy Susan was pointing and was astonished to see Pacifica surrounded by bodyguards. Not only that, but she was wearing very expensive clothes again. She had refused to wear that specific type and brand ever since she had rejected her parents. Not only that, but she simply couldn’t afford such expensive things on her waitress paycheck from Greasy’s.

“Pacifica! Wh-what’s going on?!”

“Fuck off, she never wants to see you again.”

Mabel gasped in shock at the bodyguards protectively surrounding her girlfriend. This…this had to be some kind of joke, right?

Fighting back tears, Mabel tried once more to get through to Pacifica.

“Pacifica, please! Tell me what I did wrong? I…I’m sorry. For-for whatever I did!”

“That’s enough. Ms. Northwest wants to have nothing else to do with you.”

They ushered Pacifica out of the diner, leaving Mabel with tears streaming down her cheeks as she clung to the lunch she had made.

Wendy happened to have been at the diner and witnessed the entire event.

“Oh my god, Mabel, are you okay?”

She sniffled as she shook her head. She loved Pacifica with every fiber of her being, and she had just been dumped like she was nothing.

No one was able to see Pacifica covering her mouth in horror as she was escorted out of the diner.

“Now then, if you want her to live, you’ll continue doing exactly as I say, Northwest.”

“I’ll do whatever I have to to protect her. What do you want from me, Gideon?”

Finally looking her in the eye, Pacifica recognized a pair of familiar slitted eyes. Realizing what had just happened, she could only let her tears flow freely. She had just given herself up as a puppet to her own worst enemy. Through gritted teeth, she responded.

“What the fuck do you want, Cipher?! How are you even alive?!”

Adjusting his gloves, he responded.

“Well, Northwest, little Gleeful here forgot the terms of our previous deals. One of which happened to include him being turned into my puppet, should I ever need his assistance.”

He grinned evilly at the teen, knowing she was trapped. He was claiming his game pieces once more, only this time, his first goal was very different. Pacifica looked down at her gloved hands. Her first order was to reconcile with her parents.

She chewed on her lip as they approached her parent’s home. She and Gideon had become good friend over the past few years, so when he had called her in a fearful panic, she arrived as soon as she could. She never expected that Bill had returned.

“Don’t forget, ‘my dear’, you can never speak of this. If you do, Shooting Star will be destroyed instantly.”

She bit back her words. She wanted to yell, she wanted to scream. She wanted to demand answers. How **dare** he threaten to harm the love of her life?!

But she knew she couldn’t. For if she did, her love was likely to be killed.

Steven looked around the shop, a concerned expression on his face.

“Dipper, isn’t it normally really busy right now?”

The shop was empty, nobody was running any tours at that moment either, which was even more strange.

“Huh? Yeah, I guess. Today seems…kinda weird. I wonder if it was the party last night or something?”

Steven was about to respond when he suddenly felt a jolt. It was familiar somehow. Dipper looked up from his journal in just enough time to see Steven’s cheeks suddenly turn pink before he collapsed on the floor.

“ _Grunkle Stan!_ ”

_Steven looked around. He didn’t know where he was. But he knew it had something to do with his mother. The structure surrounding him was very gem like._

_Confused, and a little curious, Steven started walking, looking for anything that would tell him where he was. Stepping lightly, he leaned against the walls for support, surprised at how wobbly he was on his feet._

_Up ahead, he saw a young boy. One that looked familiar. But he was unconscious, and trapped in what looked similar to one of Steven’s bubbles._

_“Wh-what?”_

_Behind the bubble, Steven saw a tapestry depicting Bill destroying Gravity Falls. Gasping, he put his hands over his mouth. There was no mistaking it. That was once his imaginary friend, who, as it turns out, wasn’t so imaginary._

_He looked at the teen, trapped in whatever state the bubble had forced upon him, and Steven knew what he had to do._

_He rushed forward and started yanking on the chains that kept the boy captive. He had to get them off if he wanted to free him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NR HTRNSL KTW DTZ SJCY UNSPD


	12. How Could You Be So Heartless?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some questions are answered, but at what cost?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *SCREAMS*
> 
> THIS TOOK WAY LONGER THAN INTENDED BUT HERE HAVE THIS

Wendy had taken Mabel to her own house, thankful that her family was out for the day. The two were currently cuddled together on Wendy’s bed, sharing a carton of ice cream. Mabel had yet to stop crying, and Wendy was powerless to stop it. All she could do was comfort the heart broken teen.

“Hey, she doesn’t deserve someone as awesome as you anyway, Mabel.”

She gently ran her hand through Mabel’s hair, worry clouding her mind. Hoping there was some kind of mind-numbing movie playing, Wendy grabbed the remote and turned the tv on.

“Hey, why don’t we watch one of your old favorites, it looks like it’s on?”

Mabel nodded against Wendy’s shoulder, still crying. Wendy turned the volume down low and helped Mabel get more comfortable. She sighed worriedly at the younger girl’s tear streaked face. Her sobs were beginning to calm down a little bit, much to her relief.

The two were finally beginning to relax when their movie was suddenly interrupted by the news. Wendy groaned in irritation, but was quick to stifle it when she realized what the news was.

“ _…and here we are at the scene of a brand new partnership between Gideon Gleeful and Pacifica Northwest!_ ”

Wendy rapidly stood and unplugged the tv.

“Okay! So, why don’t we go for a car ride instead!”

Dipper looked worriedly at Steven, still unconscious on the floor of the shack. Stan came running from the kitchen to see what had panicked Dipper so badly, and he froze at the sight that greeted him.

“Kid, what happened?”

“I-I don’t know! He was fine! And then he just passed out! Grunkle Stan, what…what do we do?”

Stan knelt next to Steven, placing a hand on his forehead. Dipper joined him, tears beginning to glisten in his eyes.

“Okay, we gotta get him to a bed, he’s burning up. I can handle getting him into bed, you grab a rag and get it damp with cold water.”

Dipper took off running as Stan carefully picked the teen up. He was surprised at how light he was, but resolved to worry about that later. Currently, he seemed to be suffering from a sudden fever, which was all too concerning.

“Kid, what’s going on with you? Last night and this morning, you were fine. Now you’re just…passing out for no reason and getting a fever?”

The current situation seemed familiar to Stan, likely because similar things had happened with his twin. This however, was a teenager who needed help. Help that Stan wasn’t sure how to give.

“ **Stan, where’s my gun?! I have a brat to kill**.”

Only mildly confused, Stan turned to see a furious Ford standing behind him. The angered expression on his face was quickly replaced with one of worry when he saw Steven, however.

“Your guns are in your little armory, downstairs Ford. As you can fuckin’ see, I have a kid to be taking care of. Any brilliant ideas on what’s wrong with him?”

Stepping further into the room, Ford looked at the teen, whose cheeks were flashing pink. Ford was quickly alternating from being fascinated to being concerned for the teen.

“Stan, what happened?”

“Dunno. Dipper said the kid just collapsed suddenly in the shop.”

“People don’t just collapse for no reason, Stan.”

“Yeah, sure Sixer, then what’s up with him? He’s got a fever, but I don’t think it’s bad enough for him pass the fuck out.”

Ford carefully examined the boy’s arms, concern growing by the second.

“By all counts, he should be awake right now, Stan.”

“ _I got the cold rag!_ ”

Dipper exclaimed as he rushed towards Steven, worry in his eyes. He carefully placed the rag on Steven’s forehead, fear now joining his worry. Ford placed a comforting hand on his shoulder before speaking.

“He should be just fine, Dipper. It’s likely he just needs to rest, but we’ll keep an eye on him.”

Ford made the decision to hold off on telling Dipper what he had just heard on the news, as he walked out the door.

_Steven stopped trying to break the chains around the bubble. Not even with his diamond powers, he couldn’t break them. Panting, he looked at the boy in the bubble. As he studied the boy’s features, he remembered his name._

_“Gideon? Who-who did this to you? Why are you all locked up like this? You…you can’t even hear me, can you?”_

_Steven’s confusion at his current situation continued to grow as he looked around. Looking closer at the chains, he noticed a lock._

_“What…”_

_Groaning, Steven started looking around the room, not too surprised to realize there was no key in it. Taking a deep breath, he left the current room, and looked at the new one. On either side of him, what seemed to be memories were playing. On one wall, he saw memories that had led to his corruption. On the other, he saw what seemed to be Dipper’s memories. Of…fighting with Bill?_

_“What the hell?”_

_He continued walking, watching the memories closely. He saw himself and Dipper fusing the previous night. But what caught his eye the most were a handful of Dipper’s memories that seemed to all have the same theme._

_-Dipper, hiding in janitors closet and crying._

_-Dipper, hugging himself behind a closed door, surrounded by locks of his own hair._

_-Dipper, clinging to Steven’s hand while trying to keep himself together._

_“Whoa. Wait…is-is that happening right now? Oh my god, if I’m unconscious…then where am I?”_

_Another memory of his own pops open to his right._

_-“come on kid, don’t you wanna see your mom again?”_

_“But Bill, dad says that whenever I play with you I fall asleep! And it’s too early to go to sleep!”_

_“Yeah, yeah. But this is the only time you ever get to see her, you know.”_

_Steven pondered Bill’s words before he took his hand and started walking with him._

_Just as suddenly as the memory appeared, it vanished._

_“Wait…but if that’s true…where’s Bill? And why is Gideon here too?”_

_Steven felt a pull to another room, and followed that feeling. There, right in front of him, stood Pink Diamond, hugging Pearl tightly._

_As usual when Bill had taken him to see these memories in the past, there was no sound. But he could tell that this memory was from not long before he was born._

_Another memory of his younger self._

_-Bill was dragging him deeper into his mind. He didn’t want to go! It hurt!_

_“Bill, stop it! I don’t wanna go anymore!”_

_“That’s too bad, Pinky. Unless…you’d rather make a deal?”_

_Steven froze. Something about this was making him feel…different. Thinking hard, he stomped his foot as hard as he could and screamed._

_“ **NOOOO!** ”_

_Steven watched as his younger self went fully pink and screamed at Bill. His memories from that day had been fuzzy for as long as he could remember. But now he knew why. He grit his teeth and turned back to where he had come from. He had to wake up._

Mabel stared out the window as Wendy drove all over Gravity Falls. How could Pacifica be so heartless? They had been so happy. Had the previous night just been a lie?

She sniffled as Wendy pulled into the parking lot of a small café, not far outside of Gravity Falls.

“C’mon Mabes, this place has all of your favorites. We’re going out on the town-well not really but you know what I mean.”

Wendy held the door open for her, hoping that this would at least comfort Mabel a small amount. She remembered how she felt when she broke up with Robbie, but this had been Mabel’s most serious relationship. Not only that, but she has been so sure that Pacifica truly had changed. But now she was questioning every moment they had ever spent together.

“I’ve been here before, I’m sure you’ll love their handmade ice cream, Mabes!”

Mabel looked up at the sign, afraid that it was a place that she and Pacifica had gone to on one of their many dates. But it wasn’t. In fact, she had never even seen the café before. Wendy held out her arm, offering it to Mabel. Mabel gratefully took it, unsure if she could walk on her own, given her current state.

“Okay, we’re gonna stop in the bathroom first to clean you up and then we’ll sit down, okay? It’s not normally super busy, so don’t worry.”

Mabel nodded, afraid her voice would crack the moment she tried to speak, and the two walked to the entrance of the café. Wendy waved to one of the waitresses, and subtly pointed to Mabel and then the bathroom. The waitress nodded in understanding. Man, was Wendy grateful she knew all the waitresses.

“Come on, I got some wet wipes in my purse.”

Mabel was sitting on the counter in the small bathroom, grateful she had finally been able to stop crying, at least for the time being. Only Wendy and Dipper had known about her relationship before today.

Wendy gently wiped her face clean, careful to not smudge any of her makeup further, thus making it worse. Carefully, she used a cool, damp paper towel to calm Mabel’s red cheeks.

“There we go. Now why don’t we go get some real food and ice cream?”

Mabel nodded as Wendy helped her hop off the counter. She intended on making the day as wonderful as she could for the hurt girl. The two made their way back into the dining area, and found a nice booth seat where they could have some privacy.

“Would ya like your usual, hon?”

“Oh, no thanks. Today, we’d like to get the best bacon burgers you have, the largest order of fries you can give us, and two of your biggest bowls of strawberry ice cream.”

“Alright then. Oh, are you okay there sweetie? Here, let me give you this.”

The waitress handed Mabel a homemade chocolate chip cookie wrapped in plastic before she winked at Wendy. She went off to get their order started, and Mabel looked at the cookie with stars in her eyes for just a few moments before she took the plastic off and started eating it.

“This is the best cookie I’ve ever had!”

“Oh yeah, Judie makes the best fucking cookies ever. After this, Mabes, we’re gonna go shopping.”

Wendy grinned at the look on Mabel’s face. They were gonna have fun if it _killed_ them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DTZ HFSY XYTU RJ STB UNSJ YWJJ
> 
> NAJ XHFWHJQD GJLZS OZXY BFNY FSI XJJ


	13. One Step Closer To Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> :)

Pacifica stood alone in her parents’ newest mansion, clutching her locket. It had been a one-year anniversary present from Mabel, with their favorite picture together inside it. She bit back tears as her parents entered the room.

“Pacifica Elise Northwest, we are allowing you to rejoin our family _only_ because you’re dating Gideon Gleeful now. This is the beginning of a beautiful partnership that will redeem both of our families names.”

Preston Northwest smirked evilly at his wayward daughter. He had made the original deal with Bill, not too long before Weirdmageddon occurred. She had run away quite some time ago, which had been another tarnish upon their family name, but now he had the chance to fix everything.

“Ņ̶͍̦̪̯̥̼͚̆ơ̵͇̰̼̖͎͉̒̀̉͋̅̓̓w̸͔̬͓̖̪͈̘̉̈́ ̵̨̘͕̹̯̥̣̈́d̶͍͉̠̭͈̠̺̗̒̽̀̾̏̓͌̒̿o̷̧̩͎͖̲͛̏́́͑̽͆̉͠ṇ̵̱̪̊͐̃͆̉̅'̶͎͓̘͉̱̦̙̼̞͒̈́͜t̶̼͎̳͂̈́̈́̔͗͂̅̾̊͜ ̷͈̩͇͈͚̳͖̰̠̊̈ͅf̷̛̬͕̍͂̈́̏͝͝ǫ̸͔͚͈͖̰̇̏͊r̶̼̝̮̎͗̊̽͊̽̽̒̚ġ̵̦̟͓̱̈́̽͆̏͛̅̓͝͝e̷̛̜̺͇̿͒̍̈́ţ̴̬̱̖͙̻̞̣͂ ̷̢̝͎̺̠̦͉̂ȏ̸̟̤͎͝ȗ̶͙̲̬͉̤̙͕̜̽͑̿͆̒̇͂͘̕r̸̨̘̭̭͕̙̥̭̟̓͊̋͋͝ ̴̧̦̭̜̹̤̑̃̄͠d̶̡̨̛͉̠̬̫̞͐̇̇̑̒͝ẻ̸͎̯̙͂̂̅̐̎̌͝ȧ̶̲̹͍͖͕̮͕̝̻̀ͅl̷̫͙̙̑͛̇̿͆̉͗̕͜͝,̴̛̦̜̮̦̩̭͓͎͖͑̿̅ͅ ̵͎̠̖͓̰̭̠͔́ͅN̴̛̳̟̫̭̦̱̝̓͂̆̿̕̕͜͝ȏ̷͙̪͛̽̅͂̈́̕͘r̷̗̺̼̲̖͋̈́͗̏̄t̶͖͖͕̼̺̻̝̻̯̾͗ͅh̵̢̜̗͈̜͙͇͍̫̔͂̐͒͛̽͂̅ͅw̷̪̥͌̏̊ẽ̷͓̗̐͐́̍́̉͆̄̐s̴̗̑̅̔̒̏̇̏̑̕͠t̵͎̖͚͓͙̦͚̫̿̽̓͘.̶͚̝̐̅̂”

Gideon glared at Pacifica, his eyes glowing a dangerous red white combination. She nodded her head, a fierce scowl firmly on her face.

Gideon grinned, a dangerous look on his face.

“ØⱧ ɎɆ₴, ₥Ɏ "Đ₳ⱤⱠł₦'" ł ₥₳Ɏ Ⱨ₳VɆ ₴₩ØⱤ₦ ₦Ø₮ ₮Ø ₱ⱧɎ₴ł₵₳ⱠⱠɎ Ⱨ₳Ɽ₥ ⱧɆⱤ, ฿Ʉ₮ ł ₦ɆVɆⱤ ₴₳łĐ ₳₦Ɏ₮Ⱨł₦₲ ₳฿ØɄ₮ Ɇ₥Ø₮łØ₦₳ⱠⱠɎ.”

Fear in her eyes, Pacifica stood tall against her worst enemy. She wasn’t the same spoiled brat she had been three years ago. She was strong now. And she had to be strong enough to protect the girl she loved with her entire heart.

She thought back to the first time she had held Mabel’s hand, and she remembered how she had felt such a comforting warmth blossom in her heart. She knew she had hurt Mabel earlier, but she would rather let Mabel live and have a chance at being happy with someone else, than cut her life tragically short because of Bill.

_“Come on, Steven, you have to wake up. You need to warn them!”_

_He looked at Gideon, concern overpowering every other emotion. He was being shown all of this for a reason. But why?_

_“Wait…Maybe…I can shapeshift my finger into a key?”_

_Carefully, he stuck his finger in the lock, shifting to fit it. He heard a click, and relieved, he looked up at the still unconscious boy._

_“Wait…if that wasn’t what was keeping you there, what is? Hmmm. Maybe…maybe you’re dreaming?”_

_Steven had a sudden realization. If Gideon was trapped by a dream, maybe he could enter the dream himself. He took a deep breath, as he carefully pushed against the bubble with one finger. It wasn’t hard like his bubbles. In fact, it didn’t seem solid in the slightest._

_Steeling himself against whatever he may see in that bubble, Steven took a running start and jumped into the bubble._

_“Whoa. It looks…like Gravity Falls?”_

_Steven wandered the streets, noting several small differences. Bud Gleeful’s used car lot was a small diner instead, Greasy’s diner looked like a nicer restaurant._

_“Oh Mabel, I wish I could give you the entire world, darlin’!”_

_Surprised, Steven turned to see Mabel holding Gideon’s hand, as the pair walked down the street. They looked truly happy together. Frowning, Steven looked closer._

_Mabel didn’t look quite right, as if…she wasn’t really there. Gideon, on the other hand, was very real, but seemed oblivious. He was smiling and joking with Mabel, who was giggling happily as they continued walking._

_Steven took a deep breath before he called out._

_“Gideon!”_

_“What-“_

_“Listen, I need to talk to you, **now**!”_

_“I’m afraid I don’t even know you, friend. Now, if you’ll excuse my sugarplum and I, we have a date.”_

_“Gideon, none of this is real!”_

_Steven watched in horror as everything surrounding them went from being normal, to being horrifying. Gideon’s joyful look disappeared as Mabel turned into a writhing mass of sentient monsters._

_Screaming in horror, he ran towards Steven, the only thing that hadn’t changed like everything else. Steven reached out his hand, using his other to create a shield as they were swarmed by monsters._

_“Listen, Gideon! You’re trapped in some kind of bubble or something, you’ve gotta wake up!”_

_“Wh-what?!”_

_“I don’t know what’s happening, but I know it has to do with **Bill Cipher**.”_

_“H-how do you know about Bill?”_

_“That’s not important right now, right now, we need to get you out of here!”_

_Grabbing Gideon’s arm, Steven rushed to the direction he had come from, hoping that this would lead them back to the real world._

“Look, Dipper, we should probably call someone who knows if this is a normal thing for him.”

“But Grunkle Stan, we don’t know any of his friends or family from Beach City!”

Stan grunted in response. He knew he needed to get ahold of the kid’s parents, but he had no fucking clue how. Suddenly, he had an idea.

“Kid, why don’t you check his phone? Mabel’s always talking about how amazing smartphones and that shit are, so why not try?”

Dipper thought for a few minutes, still clinging to Steven’s hand.

“I-I don’t think he would like that very much, Grunkle Stan…”

“Ya got any _better_ ideas?”

“…no…”

“Then let’s see if we can figure this out.”

Dipper nodded his head, reaching for Steven’s phone; it had fallen out of his pocket when they got him into bed. Steven’s phone looked quite different from most smartphones, and not only because he had personalized it. Confused, Dipper attempted to bring it out of sleepmode, only for the screen to stay black.

“What’s wrong kid?”

“I-I don’t know how to unlock it! It’s different from any phone I’ve ever seen!”

Dipper exclaimed, bewildered. Suddenly he had an idea.

“Wait, I wonder…if it’s fingerprint unlockable??”

Carefully bringing Steven’s hand to the phone, Dipper was surprised when the screen suddenly lit up as Steven touched it. Guiding his fingers, Dipper finally unlocked the phone. On the screen, he saw words, but they seemed to be in some kind of…code?

“Grunkle Stan, I-I think we need some help from Grunkle Ford for this…I can’t decipher this.”

“For fuck’s sake, kid. Gimme that. See, Mabel said to just push the button that has a little phone on it.”

Stan did exactly as he said, and Dipper watched as Steven’s contacts pulled up in seconds.

“There, see! Now uh…”

Stan squinted at the tiny lettering before he decided to shove the phone back into Dipper’s hands.

“You know the kid better than I do anyways. _You_ can call his family.”

Dipper groaned as Stan left the room, leaving him alone with Steven. He jumped when Steven’s cheeks began to glow pink _again_. Brow creased in worry, Dipper scrolled through Steven’s contacts until he came across the name: Connie Maheswaran, my beautiful knight

Rolling his eyes, Dipper pressed the call button, hoping that this ‘Connie’ was free. He had a vague memory of her, from when they had been Dipven.

“ _Steven? It’s kind of early for you to be calling me already, is everything okay?_ ”

“C-Connie? Hi, this is D-Dipper, and I had some really important questions about Steven.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MNX QNYYQJ PSNLMY NX SJCY NK XMJ YMNSPX FGTZY YFRUJWNSL
> 
> BFYHM MJW KFRNQD WJFQQD HQTXJQD UNSJ YWJJ


	14. I Would Give Anything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ●‿●

_Steven and Gideon had managed to escape the bubble, but they were unfortunately still stuck where Steven had been all this time. Steven let out a frustrated groan when he realized where they were._

_“Okay. Gideon, my name’s Steven. I was sent here, wherever “here” is, for a reason. Since one of the first things I saw was you, I’m wondering if I was meant to get you out of there.”_

_“Oh, lordy. Wait, h-how do you know my name?”_

_Steven looked at him, confusion written all over his face. Sure, they had only met briefly once, at the party, but that hadn’t been too long ago._

_“Wait, you don’t remember meeting me at that party?”_

_“…wh-what party?”_

_“Gideon, what’s the last thing you remember before getting trapped in that bubble?”_

_Steven watched as he seemed to think deeply, pondering his last memory that hadn’t been in the bubble._

_“The last thing I remember…I was at Greasy’s. I wanted to say hi to Pacifica and make sure she remembered her lunch! After that…All of my memories must’ve been in that bubble…”_

_A troubled expression seemed to be cemented on the younger boy’s face. Steven thought quickly. If that was his last memory, it meant that Gideon hadn’t been himself in over a week now. There was no telling what was going on in the real world._

_Gideon was holding his head in his hands, clearly distressed from learning of these events. Concerned, Steven put a comforting hand on his shoulder._

_“Come on Gideon, we gotta find a way to get back to the real world.”_

Wendy was hard at work, trying to make Mabel smile even once. She adored the diner, they had wound up staying there for hours, just talking with each other and the waitresses.

“What do you wanna do next, Mabes?”

“I…I think we should get back to the shack now, Wendy. Something doesn’t feel right…”

Mabel frowned, not sure why she suddenly felt something calling her back home. Wendy helped her hop out of the booth, waving at the waitresses with her free hand.

“Thanks ladies! We’ll see you all some time soon, I’m sure!”

Finally, Mabel grinned at the waitresses as the two girls walked out, arm-in-arm. Wendy opened the passenger side door for Mabel before she walked to the other side, sliding into her own seat. They had spent a much longer time than planned on at the café, but Mabel seemed to be doing better now, and Wendy was beyond grateful for that.

“Okay, you wanna stop and grab anything on the way to the shack?”

“No, I think we need to get there asap, Wendy. Something’s not right…”

Mabel frowned as she spoke, concern spreading over her features. She even seemed to have forgotten her own heartbreak for the time being. Wendy’s own concern was growing by the second, it wasn’t often that Mabel was like this.

“Okay, so he just collapsed and now he has a fever? He’s unconscious and you can’t wake him?”

“ _Y-yeah. I don’t know what to do!_ ”

“Take a deep breath Dipper, it’s gonna be okay. This happens sometimes.”

Connie was frantically coming up with explanations for why Steven’s cheeks were occasionally glowing pink, and she was thankful that Dipper seemed to be too worried to care that her explanations weren’t making much sense.

She was making plans for the second she was off the phone, she needed to get to Gravity Falls. Steven needed her, or at least someone who had knowledge about the Gems.

“Okay just keep him cool, make sure that there’s some natural light around him, sometimes he doesn’t get enough. I’ll be on my way as soon as I can, okay?”

She could easily hear Dipper’s sigh of relief, and she understood all too well how he felt. As she listened to Dipper rambling on, she gathered enough of her things to last for a few days.

“Okay, I’m on my way, I’m not sure when I’ll be there, but just hang in there, okay Dipper?”

“ _Okay. Thank you Connie._ ”

Hanging up, she looked at the framed picture of her, Steven and Lion that she kept in her dorm room. Gritting her teeth, she grabbed her bag, leaving a note for her roommates, and left for her car. She had a long day ahead of her. She looked at her watch, noting the time. She was gonna miss several classes, but she knew that her professors would allow it.

“Hang on Steven, I’m coming.”

“Kid, his girlfriend is coming, I think you can relax. Come on, you probably need something to eat.”

“I-I don’t think he should be left unsupervised Grunkle Stan…”

Stan groaned before he left the room. He had been keeping a closer eye on the teen, he was acting different from previous Summers, being even more reckless than normal. It reminded him of when he had been kicked out. He had been the same way. But now, he was beyond worried for his nephew.

He remembered how Mabel had quietly told him that Dipper had been diagnosed with an eating disorder, and how he needed to be watched carefully to make sure he truly was eating. Sighing, he went to the kitchen. He was going to get Dipper to eat _something_.

“Ugh, let’s see…Mabel said he really likes the pancakes. Hm…Pancakes it is!”

Mabel had shared her own secret recipe with Stan over Winter break, and it was the perfect recipe to sneak even more nutrients into the boy’s starving body. He carefully measured out the proper amount of chocolate protein powder and put that in the bowl first.

“Flour, eggs, cut the sugar by half…Add in some fresh blueberries, and mix!”

Singing quietly to himself, a habit he had picked up from spending so much time with Mabel. Ford once mentioned it to him, but he had fiercely denied it, until he and Mabel were caught singing together a few weeks later.

“Heh. This is actually a good one, I’m gonna have to ask Mabel about making some more recipes for when the nerds don’t want to eat.”

He chuckled as he flipped the pancakes. Sure it was currently one in the afternoon, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t make breakfast foods.

A sudden door slam brought his attention away from the food, and towards the sound of thudding feet heading towards him.

“Grunkle Stan! Is Dipper okay?!”

“He’s okay, just freakin’ out a bit because Steven passed out.”

“ **Steven _WHAT_**?!”

“Calm down, pumpkin. We called his girlfriend and she’s on her way. Kid didn’t want to leave him alone though. I’m making some of your world famous pancakes for him, since he hasn’t eaten much today anyway.”

Mabel breathed a sigh of relief as Ford came rushing into the kitchen. Placing his hands gently on her shoulders he spoke.

“Mabel, my dear, are you alright? I saw the news.”

She looked to the floor, sniffling. She shook her head no.

“…b-but I will be. Wendy took me out to a nice café and we had some fun. I-I’d rather not talk about it right now…”

Ford gently wiped a tear off her cheek and smiled softly.

“That’s perfectly alright, Mabel. We’re all here for you, no matter what. We love you, dear.”

He held his arms open for her to hug him, and held her close. Wendy watched from the side as Mabel was comforted by her grunkles. She sighed before she started walking towards where she could hear Dipper’s mumbling coming from.

“Dipper? You okay man?”

“W-Wendy? Oh yeah…I guess I’m just…worried. When we were Dipven, I could tell he was trying to hide something. But…I don’t think it was this. It was something else. But this has to do with it I think.”

Dipper still held Steven’s hand tightly. Wendy took a deep breath before she finally responded.

“Dipper, I didn’t tell you about this because I didn’t want you to freak out, but I think you need to know now. I’ll be right back.”

She rushed to her little cubby where she kept her work bag and came back quickly.

“I found this. I was out in the woods one day, and I saw this on a stump.”

Dipper gasped as his eyes grew wider.

“Wendy, that’s…impossible. We threw it in the bottomless pit. Oh my god…”

She held out the book, concern growing.

“I threw it back in the pit but it kept coming back. I was hoping it would stop, but this time it appeared on my bed.”

They looked at the book, a sense of terror spreading over them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> QNYYQJ PSNLMY, NR HTRNSL KTW DTZ
> 
> YMNX NX BMFY DTZ LJY BMJS DTZ LJY NSYT RD GZNXSJXX


	15. I Hope You're Happy With Yourself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> APOLOGIES FOR LATE UPLOAD
> 
> THERE WERE....CONFLICTS IRL PLS ENJOY

_“Okay, I’m gonna try something Gideon. If it doesn’t bring you out with me, I won’t stop trying to get you out, I promise.”_

_“Wait, if you can get out, find Dipper Pines, he’ll know how to get me out of here.”_

_Steven nodded, as he placed his hand on the wall, and finally allowed himself to go fully pink. He was calling upon his diamond powers. The building seemed to be Gem, so he hoped it also had hidden triggers for doorways like most other Gem structures._

_He closed his eyes as he felt the familiar sensation of warping flow through his body._

_“Wait, warping?”_

“Steven! Oh my god, you’re pink!”

Dipper watched worriedly as Connie tried to wake up Steven. She was about to try slapping him to wake him up when his eyes flew open.

“C- ** _Connie?!_** ”

“STEVEN!! You’re okay!”

She wrapped her arms around him tightly, as Steven held her back.

“Wh-what are you doing here?”

“Dipper called me! He was worried about you, so I drove over to check on you.”

“Wait, how long have I been out of it?”

Dipper cleared his throat before answering.

“Almost 2 days now.”

“ _TWO DAYS_?!”

Connie recognized that panicked tone of voice, it wasn’t used often anymore, but she knew that something had to have happened to cause it.

“Steven, what’s wrong?”

“I-I had a vison? Dream? _Wait._ Dipper where’s Gideon Gleeful, he needs help!”

“The only ‘help’ Gideon is getting from me is a knuckle sandwich for what he did.”

Bewildered, Steven looked from Connie, to Dipper, to Wendy and Mabel who had just walked in after hearing the commotion.

“Wh-what?”

Steven was beyond confused. Sure, Mabel had been avoiding him to begin with, but they weren’t on bad terms with each other. Sighing, Dipper clicked the tv on, where Pacifica was on the arm of Gideon. Looking closer, Steven noticed something that nobody else seemed to have noticed.

“Did…did nobody else notice that his eyes are glowing yellow? And have slits?”

Dipper froze as the room went silent. He got closer to the tv, pushing his glasses up.

“ _Oh my god_.”

Dipper looked closer at the screen, and noticed that Pacifica looked…hurt. And not just mentally. Dipper realized three things simultaneously.

  1. Pacifica was hiding something and it wasn’t good. Not only that, but she still wore her locket.
  2. Gideon did _not_ look like himself.
  3. Pacifica was actively trying to get away from him.



“Okay, something isn’t right, we need to figure this out. Mabel, I know she hurt you, so I’m not gonna make-“

“Dipper I’m going. I’ll fucking end Gideon myself if he’s forcing her into this.”

Steven took a deep breath.

“Okay, I need you all to listen to me. While I was out, I had a…vision? Or something like that. Gideon was trapped in a bubble, so I fought hard to get him out. But he’s still trapped in the same space I was I think.”

Steven bit his lip as he wondered whether to tell them about his own past with Bill. He decided against it.

_He never would have guessed how badly that would end for him._

“Now, my dear. Don’t you see how wonderful this is? Just look at all of the people who _love_ us.”

He tightly squeezed her arm as he spoke. Gritting her teeth, Pacifica hissed out her response.

“Fuck you, Bill. Someone is going to figure it out, you idiot.”

He forcefully dug his nails deeper into her arm, continuing to smile widely at the crowds around them while they walked to the mansion. Chewing her lip, Pacifica bit back pained groans. She wasn’t going to let him know how much he was hurting her.

Once they arrived, Bill/Gideon threw her into the basement by her hair. She didn’t make a single noise as she hit the floor hard. She heard the door close, and she finally let her tears run freely, not caring about the expensive, fancy makeup her mother had forcefully put on her face.

“Good job Pacifica. Those acting lessons are coming in handy I guess…”

She sniffled, talking to herself. Finally bringing herself to sit up, she looked around at the area she would now be living in. It wasn’t like her home with Lazy Susan, and it wasn’t quite like her room had been when she had lived with her parents in the past.

There was one soft white light above her. She had a bed, a dresser, even a vanity. But that was it. She looked at herself in the mirror, surely she couldn’t look _too_ messed up, right?

“Oh my god I look like I’ve been in a fistfight…”

Her voice was soft as she looked around the vanity, hoping there were some first aid supplies somewhere. Before she looked in the drawers, she clicked her locket open so she could see her beloved and remember why she was doing this. She took a deep breath and started looking through the drawers.

“Ah-ha. An entire first aid kit. I guess someone must’ve known what this was gonna be like. I guess I better start cleaning myself up.”

Gently rubbing alcohol across her arms, she winced at the sting. She was struggling with wrapping her own arms, but she knew there would be no help for her anymore.

“I’m doing this for Mabel. I…I have to stay strong for her.”

Mabel came running into the room, dressed in a very strange outfit for her. She was wearing black skinny jeans, a dark blue tanktop, and her hair was tightly tied back in a braid. There was a furious glare firmly in place on her face.

“Dipper, are you guys ready yet? I need to go find the love of my life and find out what’s going on.”

Steven and Connie exchanged worried glances before Dipper nodded in the affirmative. It was time for them to go talk to Pacifica and find out what was wrong with Gideon. Dipper thought back to how Gideon had desperately tried to change after Weirdmageddon. How he had often come to him for help. How the first time he made the choice to help his mother with the household chores, he had called Dipper excitedly, proudly explaining another milestone in his journey.

What happened?

In the shop, Melody and Soos were quietly talking about the news. They knew that Pacifica was a good friend of the twins now, as was Gideon. The news had come as a shock, but finding out that Pacifica had broken up with Mabel, as well as the fact that they hadn’t been told about their relationship until it was over, had angered them beyond belief.

“Soos, don’t you think we should do something?”

He sighed as Melody put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“I…I don’t know. I think they’ve got a plan, but we gotta look after the shack. Right now, the best we can do, is be there for them when they get back.”

Melody nodded in agreement as the door opened, revealing the group of teenagers, Mabel in the lead. Connie was by her side, a fierce look upon her face as well. Dipper, Steven and Wendy stood behind them, talking quietly about what their strategy would be once they found the ‘couple’.

“…okay but what if it’s a mansion, like…dude. They’re rich.”

Dipper’s voice was surprisingly the loudest as they walked through the shop, but Mabel turned to wave goodbye and smile at her friends. But it wasn’t the same bright smile they were used to.

They wanted their happy girl back, but she wasn’t coming back until she had answers.

Bill/Gideon sat upon his own chair, openly discussing his plans with the Northwest’s, per their deal.

“The press is eating this shit up, your reputation will be back to where you desire it to stay. As we decided on, the deal will end upon our marriage, solidifying the union of our respective empires. Should your pathetic daughter act on her own will at any point during this deal, her beloved will be killed. However, there’s one more thing I need from you…”

At first, they had refused. But they knew they didn’t really have a choice. Not any longer. Gritting his teeth, Preston called for the maids. They had a rather important event to prepare for. They were having a grand party to celebrate the new couple.

Pointing one of the maids towards Bill/Gideon, he saw the medallion he was holding. That medallion had been said to have horrible powers. His daughter’s suffering was about to grow a thousand fold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UFHNKNHF, NY NX YNRJ KTW RD UQFS YT KNSFQQD GJLNS
> 
> DTZ FWJ FX LTTI FX RNSJ ZSQJXX DTZ BFSY XMTTYNSL XYFW FSI UNSJ YWJJ YT LJY NSATQAJI NS YMNX UMNXNHFQQD


	16. You Broke My Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a memory is discovered

It was early evening when they arrived at the new mansion, which had Northwest and Gleeful written all over it. Mabel recognized a few of the guards as those who had surrounded her love and forced her away. Gritting her teeth, she quickly and quietly found a place to perch, where she hoped she could catch a glimpse of anything. Her heart was racing as she carefully watched the windows.

“Come on, show me something. _Anything_ that will tell me what’s going on…”

Outside the gates, Steven and Connie were in the midst of a conversation in hushed whispers. Dipper didn’t bother to pay any attention the couple, more worried about his twin, who had decided she would be the one to see everything first hand.

“Steven, you haven’t told them about the dreams you’ve been having?”

“…no. I’ve been kinda busy with other shit, Connie…”

“Steven, I know. But maybe you should tell them about the dreams you used to have, too. If nothing else, we may need to call the gems.”

“No! I don’t want to call them all the way here, not if this is something we can fix alone! I just…I feel like I shouldn’t tell them about… _him_.”

Connie glanced worriedly behind them, assuring herself and Steven that Dipper wasn’t listening. Placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, she continued speaking.

“Steven, when I got here, I saw some of Dipper’s notes. The same Bill guy you drew pictures of for me was in his journal. That was all I saw before he realized it was open. I think they probably know Bill somehow, Steven.”

For a reason he couldn’t possibly explain, Steven felt a great resistance to telling any of his new friends about his past with Bill. Shaking his head, he responded.

“I…I’d just rather keep it to myself, I’m not…not sure why though.”

His expression seemed to grow more troubled by the moment, but Connie heard a sudden thud from where Dipper had been, pulling their attention away from their conversation.

“ _Guys, we’ve got a really big problem and it looks like it’s just gonna keep on getting bigger._ ”

Mabel had returned from her surveillance, a grim look on her face.

“Pacifica was nowhere to be found, but Gideon looked like he was having some kind of meeting with her parents. Not just that, I saw him holding some kinda necklace, I think I saw it in the journals once before. It’s said to grant the owner control of whoever they give it to.”

Connie covered her mouth with her hands, Dipper ushering their group away, as the guards had heard a commotion from their direction.

“Guys, hurry! Look, I think there’s gonna be a party tonight here, we’ll come back then. And we’ll actually be able to find out some shit. Because we’re going to be ‘attending’ the party.”

Dipper explained, a devious grin on his face. Steven and Mabel exchanged a look of intrigue. Connie quickly pointed out that they were going to need the proper attire for such an extravagant party, as they slowed their pace, now that they were back in town. They had a long list of things to do to prepare for the party.

“Stanferd, Ah’m worried about those kids. Especially after what we saw on the news. What d’you think their plan is?”

“I…I’m not sure, Fidds. But it looks like there’s to be a party tonight. I’m sure the kids are planning on going, perhaps we should be their escorts.”

Ford had a dangerous twinkle in his eyes as he offered his arm to Fiddleford, who giggled at his love’s over dramatization of a prince offering his arm to a princess.

“Ah’m not sure us goin’ would be the best idea, Stanferd. After all, the Northwest’s don’t exactly like us all that much.”

Before Ford could respond, the door slammed open, and the group of teens stormed in, each one bearing an equally grim expression.

“Grunkle Ford, can you help us plan what to do at the party?”

Of course he agreed, he couldn’t say no to his beloved niece.

_Gideon was still in the strange place. But once Steven left, it had changed. It was more like the prison he had once been in. Walking down the halls that had stayed the same, he saw memories. Some, he recognized as his own. Others belonged to Dipper._

_“Now, who does this one belong to?”_

_Curious, he watched as the memory played._

_“Come on kid, you know you want to.”_

_“ **No! I don’t wanna play with you anymore Bill, stop it!** ”_

_Bill could be seen dragging a little boy into an area of darkness, his eye glowing a furious red._

_“Don’t you want to see your mom, **Steven**?”_

_“No!! You’ll make her scary again! Stop it! Let me go!!”_

_Steven was hitting Bill’s hand as hard as he could, and dragging his feet, but Bill was infinitely stronger than he was._

“ ** _Now Pinky, have you forgotten what happens when I get ANGRY?!_** _”_

_At Bill’s words, Steven stopped fighting back. But he certainly wasn’t helping Bill by walking. The further they walked, the more horrifying everything around them grew. When he finally stopped, there was tall, pink woman. She wore a long dress, with a hole around her belly button, showing a gem. Her eyes however, weren’t visible until Bill was closer to her. Her eyes glowed a dangerous yellow, much like Bill’s._

_Steven whimpered quietly as Bill took over her body, forcing her into something much more gruesome._

_Gideon watched in shock, understanding beginning to dawn on him._

_“He’s dealt with Bill before.”_

_Gideon stood there, thoughtfully staring at the place the memory stopped. Finally, he began walking once more, another memory ahead of him._

_“Well, well, well. You look awful small to have summoned me, Shooting Star.”_

_Steven giggled before he reached out to talking triangle._

_“My name’s not Shooting Star! It’s Steven!”_

_Watching different memories of Bill and Steven, Gideon wasn’t sure what to make of him. Another one popped up, at the end of the hall, but this one was different from the others._

_“Heya Pinky! How about we make a deal?”_

_“…like a-a promise?”_

_“Yeah, just like a promise.”_

_Steven smiled as Bill held out his hand, blue flames engulfing both of them._

_The memory ended as suddenly as it began, and Gideon now understood exactly how much danger Gravity Falls was in._

_“I have to get back! I-if they don’t know about Steven’s deal with Bill…”_

Pacifica stood in her room, maids assisting her with her clothes. She hated it. But she appreciated each of them. They were gentle, and avoided her bruised areas.

“Ms. Northwest, would you prefer to wear flats or heels tonight?”

“Flats. Thank you for asking.”

The maid nodded respectfully. She knew that this young lady had rebelled against her family. She knew of the torture she was currently enduring for the sake of someone she cared for greatly. She had overheard a portion of what was in store for the girl, and had resolved to treat her as kindly as possible.

“What’s your name?”

“Sorry?”

“Your name. You know, like what am I supposed to call you?”

“My name is Elli, Ms. Northwest.”

“That’s a beautiful name. Please, just call me Pacifica.”

She smiled softly, grateful to realize precisely how different this young lady was from her parents. Elli gestured to the other maid who had been helping, wordlessly.

“This is my sister, Stella. We were hired by your parents about a year ago. We’ve only heard of you in hushed whispers from other staff.”

Pacifica let out a harsh laugh.

“Sounds about right. When I ‘turned’ on them, their reputation went even further down. And when I moved in with a nice older lady, and started working at Greasy’s, it kept going even further down. I was so happy to be out of their control finally.”

Her voice hitched at the end of her sentence, and suddenly the two maids understood her that much better.

“Oh, honey. It’s gonna be okay. We’re gonna take care of you as much as we can. Now you look at me.”

Stella gently leaned Pacifica’s head up to look her in the eye.

“We will _both_ be here for as long as you need us. Okay?”

Pacifica nodded as she sniffled, desperately trying not to cry. She knew she had allies behind enemy lines at least, and she was beyond grateful.

“Thank you, both of you.”

Clearing her throat, she turned to see her reflection. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before she spoke again.

“Ladies, let’s get my face prepared for a night of the press following me everywhere. I’m rather out of practice.”

“Alright Mabel, you can do this. Sure, she broke your heart, but there’s a chance she didn’t want to.”

Wiping away her tears and quickly locating her makeup, Mabel steeled herself against whatever they were going to find. She hoped against hope that her beloved was doing this because she was being forced.

She couldn’t help but feel selfish for thinking such things, but she shook her head, hoping to free herself from that way of thinking.

“Mabel, you okay in there?”

“Yeah, I’m almost ready bro-bro.”

Carefully applying the last of her makeup, she frowned. She was going to get to the bottom of this mess, even if it meant she’d get hurt even more.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TSJ ITBS UNSPD MTB RFSD RTWJ BNQQ N HTQQJHY 
> 
> YMJDQQ QJFWS BMFY DTZ FWJ FSI DTZQQ GJ BWJHPJI


	17. Trust is a Fragile Thing, Darling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group goes to a party

Mabel looked at the crowds surrounding the mansion, preparing for the party. Pacifica was still nowhere to be found, and she was growing more concerned by the second. They had worked hard to pull off such highly extravagant looking clothes for all of them, successfully. Steven seemed to have an odd amount of knowledge regarding fashion, and she resolved to ask him about it later.

Chewing her lip, she looked to the group, a sense of dread weighing heavy in the air. They knew whatever happened was likely to be bad. There was no telling what exactly was going on with the Northwests and Gleefuls, all they knew was to be prepared.

“Mabel, are you ready for tonight?”

Dipper had been staying close to her this whole time, knowing she needed as much support as he could give. She shrugged, looking at her twin. They knew each other better than many people gave them credit for.

“Not really. But I have to know. I have to find out what’s going on, Dipper.”

“I know. I’m with you, a hundred percent. We’re gonna get to the bottom of this, I promise. Mystery Twins?”

“Mystery Twins.”

She smiled at their old nickname, it brought back memories of their first Summer in Gravity Falls.

“Steven, are you feeling okay? You look kinda…pale?”

“I just feel kinda…lightheaded, Connie. This has been a really crazy day, you know? And-and then seeing Bill in my vision…uh…dream? Whatever it was, was really…concerning.”

Steven paused as they reached the entrance. Something about this place was making him feel strange. Like he shouldn’t be there. Swallowing his own worries, he walked through the door with the rest of the group. He was pleasantly surprised to hear light piano music, mixed with the quiet murmurs of the classiest people in town.

Connie squeezed his hand gently, a look of fear barely masked on her face. The last time they had been in such a situation together, they had been thrown in a tower by Blue Diamond. Carefully navigating the crowd, they eventually came to a small room, filled with coats.

“Okay guys, this is the perfect place to make our plans. Come on.”

Steven gestured to the rest of the group, each of which followed his directions inconspicuously. Dipper was the last one to go into the room, double checking to make sure no one had noticed.

“So, Pacifica is still nowhere to be found, but I saw her parents and Gideon around the center of the ballroom, talking with more high society people. I estimate we have maybe an hour to find her before her grand appearance. Let’s move.”

Dipper, ever the strategist, continued on to explain who would be searching each area.

“Steven, you and Connie will be taking this floor, making sure she’s not being hidden in one of the extra rooms or anything. Wendy, you’re in charge of the second floor, that’s where Mabel said she saw Gideon earlier. I’ll be keeping an eye out in the ballroom while Mabel searches the basement. They always say they don’t have one, but we know they do. Everyone have your earpieces?”

Dipper was beyond grateful that Ford had helped him create a way for them all to stay in contact during their mission. Looking around, he was content to see everyone adjusting their earpieces before testing them.

“Alright, we’re all good. Let’s move.”

_“Come on, Gideon, think! How can you get out of here?”_

_He had decided to continue exploring the strange space, hoping he could find a way out. But as he had walked, he had seen memories that were troubling. He was certain he couldn’t trust Steven after seeing many of them. He couldn’t even remember how he had gotten trapped in such a place, much less know how to get out of it._

_“If Dipper were here, he’d know how to get out. He got Mabel out of her own prison back then. Why did I never ask him **how**?”_

_Another memory popped up, this time belonging to Dipper._

_Dipper sat on the floor, legs crossed as he scribbled frantically in his journal._

_“Dip, c’mon! We’re gonna be late for the-oh my **god**.”_

_“Wha-?”_

_“Dipper! The school dance! You’re not even close to ready!”_

_“Wait, shit, that’s **today**?!”_

_Flinging his pens out of the way, he rushed to his closet, grabbing a suit. Mabel stood in the doorway, hand on her forehead in exasperation._

_“I cannot believe that this dork is the same person who fought Bill Cipher two years ago.”_

_“Hey, we were **twelve**. And also it was Summer vacation.”_

_“Yeah, yeah, Brainiac, hurry it up. We gotta go!”_

_He rolled his eyes, adjusting his tie. On the wall behind him, there was a corkboard full of pictures and red threads._

_“What? He suspected that Bill was back last **year**?!”_

_Gideon studied the memory, focusing on the corkboard, where there were aged pictures of Bill Cipher. Dipper had been the most tortured by Bill back then, everyone knew it. But he never would have guessed exactly how scared he still was, even now._

_Still deep in thought, Gideon continued walking. Suddenly he felt a pull towards something. A memory?_

“Pacifica, how do you like it?”

“It’s perfect Elli, thank you so much!”

Pacifica had decided to make the outfit she was told to wear her own. It had been a long, dark blue dress, with puffed sleeves. She had asked for help in removing the sleeves, as well as making the dress appear shorter. It suited her much better now, she happily noticed.

Sighing deeply, she turned to the jewelry that she had been instructed to wear. Her old diamond earrings, as a reminder of who she was supposed to be. Pearl bracelets, to remind her of how she had betrayed her mother by turning out to not be the pearl they thought she had been. And finally, a medallion.

“Ew, I don’t recognize this one. Do you guys know what it is?”

“I-I think it’s a gift from Gideon, honey.”

Pacifica cautiously picked it up, looking at the ornate carvings all over it. It wasn’t his style, but it certainly seemed like something Bill would like.

“I’m not wearing that.”

She set it back down on the tray, before she grabbed her own locket. She clicked it open, and smiled at the picture inside.

“What’s the worst he can do if I don’t wear it, anyway?”

Elli and Stella exchanged a worried glance. They had seen what they had done to her while she was following his orders, there was no telling what he could do when she _didn’t_.

Mabel had been able to find the way to the basement thankfully with ease. This house was remarkably similar to the original Northwest mansion, where she had often spent days exploring when Fiddleford became part of their family. The entrance to the basement was in nearly the same spot, but equally as hidden.

However, this basement was designed differently. She placed small stickers on the walls so she could find her way back out, but she froze when she heard people talking.

“… _She’s so brave for doing all of this, Stella. That poor girl…_ ”

For a moment, Mabel saw red, but was able to quickly calm herself enough to hide in an empty room. Which wound up being not as empty as she thought.

“ _Steven and Connie, have you guys found anything yet?_ ”

“Nothing yet, Dipper. All that we’ve seen is a bunch of snobs. Thankfully, they think we’re like them. We’re keeping an eye out.”

Connie sighed as Dipper acknowledged them. She was most certainly not pleased with people thinking her and Steven were both “high class”. She was, however, used to people believing Steven was, due to his status as a Diamond, but these people had never even heard of gems.

“Want to dance, Connie?”

“Steven, we don’t have time for fun! And besides, we almost always end up fusing when we dance!”

“Oh yeah. Right. Have you seen Gideon at all since we got back out here?”

“…Now that you mention it, no. I don’t remember seeing him _or_ the Northwests. Do you think they’re planning something?”

Steven thoughtfully scanned the crowds, hoping to catch a glimpse pf the missing hosts. Connie had refused to leave Steven’s side, knowing that they were behind enemy lines. She was grateful that she was an expert at fending off unwanted questions, and it was easy to tell Steven felt the same way.

“Connie, do you feel that?”

“Something’s not right?”

“Yeah.”

As they finished talking, they saw Gideon Gleeful entering the ballroom, a butler grandly announcing him.

Looking around, Mabel realized the room she had hidden in was full of Bill Cipher propaganda, as well as thousands of photos of Gideon and Pacifica. Some of which had been faked, in order to prove their relationship, Mabel realized.

“Oh no…”

“ _Mabel, have you found anything yet?_ ”

“Dipper, we’ve got a really big problem. And I think I may be close. _SHIT_! I gotta go!”

She had dropped a box, and she could now hear footsteps rapidly approaching.

“Whoever’s in there, you better be ready to face severe punishments for trespassing!”

It was the same voice she had heard earlier, but now it was quavering. Making a decision that she knew could possibly lead to being imprisoned, Mabel stepped out to where she could be seen, her hands in plain sight.

“Look, I don’t want any trouble, I just want to find Pacifica. You don’t have to help me, I know how cruel her parents are to the household staff, but please…just let me look for her.”

The older woman eyed Mabel up and down, and recognition flashed in her eyes.

“You’re on of the Pines, aren’t you? Listen to me, Pacifica is running out of time, she’s in horrible danger. Her room is all the way down the hall, take a right, and it’s the third door. I don’t know if you’ll get there in time…”

Mabel felt tears pricking at her eyes, as she realized what this maid was risking for Pacifica. She gave her a small smile before she took off running at top speed down the hall.

“PACIFICA!”

“ **You’re too late, Shooting Star. She belongs to me now.** ”

There stood Pacifica, an evil smile on her face that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“ **How do you like your new necklace, my _dear_?**”

“Oh, I love it, _darling_.”

Mabel felt her heart breaking as she realized she was too late to stop Gideon. She looked up at Pacifica, and in her eyes, she saw the same girl she fell in love with. Maybe she still had a chance…

“Steven, look.”

At the top of the stairs still, Gideon began speaking.

“Now, all of y’all know that my beautiful girlfriend is well known for being fashionably late, so now, without further ado, Pacifica Northwest, the love of my life!”

As they watched the couple descend the stairs, waving at the crowds, Steven felt his mind being pulled apart.

“ _Steven?!_ ”

“I’m-I’m okay. We’ve gotta…gotta do something…”

Worried, Connie quietly helped Steven back to the coat room.

“Steven, what’s going on with you?”

“I…I don’t know? God, I’ve been feeling different all day.”

“Stay here and rest, we’ll handle this.”

She kissed his forehead before making sure he was hidden behind several coats. Taking a deep breath, she walked back out to the ballroom, where she could see Pacifica and Gideon happily speaking with their guests, Pacifica never letting go of his arm.

“Dipper, Mabel, come in.”

“ _What’s going in Connie?_ ”

“Steven almost collapsed, Pacifica and Gideon are both in the ballroom. Something is super fucking off about this.”

Dipper and Connie heard a sniffle from Mabel.

“ _I…I was too late. He has her wrapped around his little finger. And also I’m kinda trapped in the basement now, he knows we’re here._ ”

Connie froze. If he knew they were there, the plan wasn’t going to work. Before she could say anything, Dipper responded.

“ _I’m on my way Mabel. Connie, you, Steven and Wendy need to get out of here before he finds you. He doesn’t know how many of us there are, but we need to retreat and regroup._ ”

“I agree. Wendy, where are you?”

“ _Major problems on the second floor, dudes. I’m pretty sure Gideon saw me, and there are guards everywhere up here now._ ”

Connie grit her teeth as she quickly thought of what they could do.

“Dipper, you go help Mabel, I’ll go help Wendy. Steven is fine in the coat room for now, but we can’t get out of this mess alone. We have to be swift and silent. Are you ready?”

“ _Let’s do this._ ”

Connie tore off the skirt she had been wearing over her pants. She needed to be able to move freely for this.

“Steven, sweetie. I’ll be back soon, okay? Just stay in here, where you’ll be safe. I love you.”

She frowned as she left the room. This felt like a trap. But she didn’t have a choice currently, she reminded herself.

“ **Now dear, I have a few…loose ends to tie up. I’ll be back soon.** ”

Pacifica nodded her head as she continued happily speaking to their guests, exactly as Bill wanted. He knew that necklace would come in handy.

He walked back upstairs, to his private room, where he left Gideon’s body. He was now in the mindscape, and he was being drawn to someone else’s.

“ **Oho! So Pinky finally came closer! Perfect. Time to make good on our deal.** ”

Floating downstairs, he followed the pull he felt from Steven. Delighted to find him asleep, Bill began to put his plan in action.

_“What? That door wasn’t there before…let’s give it a try…”_

_Gideon walked towards the door, and was astonished to see what appeared to be his own body in a reflection. Maybe this was how he could get out of here! Taking a deep breath, he turned around and ran towards the door._

“Wh-what? Am…am I back?”

Looking in the mirror, Gideon recognized himself. But he looked different. Like he hadn’t slept in weeks. Or eaten for the same amount of time. He swallowed as he looked around the room. This wasn’t his home. He had no idea where he was. But he did know one thing for sure.

“I’ve gotta find the Pines twins before Bill finds Steven!”

He couldn’t have known he was already too late.

When Connie had made it to the stairs to the next floor, she felt something terrible. As if there was someone after Steven. Her eyes grew wide as she dashed back to the coat room

“ ** _Steven?!_** ”

“ **Sorry, Little Knight. Pinky can’t help you now.** ”

She gasped as he used Steven’s powers to shapeshift his hands much larger to catch her before she could get back out.

“ **Such a pity, you would have made an excellent knight for me.** ”

“I’ll never do ANYTHING for y-“

He covered her mouth easily, before he left her in the closet, tied up with coats. She watched helplessly as the love of her life walked away, tears in her eyes.

“Connie, Mabel and I are on our way, where are you and Wendy?”

Silence. A fearful expression spread across his face as he tried again.

“Connie, Wendy, come in.”

No response still.

“Mabel, we have an even bigger problem now. But…at least we’re together. Because when we’re together…”

“…we’re unstoppable.”

“Right.”

Mabel had sustained a few injuries from being thrown around by Gideon, and she was leaning on Dipper for support as they continued walking. Dipper was silent as he tried to come up with a new plan, any way he could get them all back to the shack, safe and sound.

“Mabel, how about we go to Steven, and then we’ll go from there. We’ll get you all patched up, and then I’ll go find Connie and Wendy, okay?”

She nodded silently. They had finally gotten back to the first floor when they bumped into Steven.

“Steven! Connie said you were resting!”

“I was, but I feel better now! We better hurry though, Connie and Wendy are in trouble!”

Dipper’s eyes grew wide at Steven’s statement. His suspicions about the girls being in danger were correct.

“But Steven, Mabel’s hurt, we should help her hide in the coat closet first.”

“There’s no time! Bill said he was going to _kill_ them! Look, you go find them, I’ll take Mabel back to the coat room.”

“Okay, and I’ll meet you back up stairs?”

“Absolutely!”

Steven offered his arms to Mabel, who gratefully leaned on him for support as they walked away from Dipper.

“ **Now, Shooting Star, you had better be quiet if you want to keep your life.** ”

“Wh-what?! Steven! What…what are you saying?!”

“ **Oh, didn’t you know? Pinky and I go _way_ back, we’re good friends!**”

Mabel was frozen in shock, but he kept dragging her back to the coat room, where Connie laid, mouth gagged and hands tied. Bill/Steven threw Mabel into the room, summoning tight rope that tied itself around her wrists and ankles.

“ **Have fun, girlies, I’ve got a kid to turn into a corpse!** ”

Mabel sniffled quietly as he left them in darkness. How could Steven have betrayed them like this? She didn’t want to believe it, but she knew it was true.

“Did you know, Connie? Did you know he was going to betray us like this?”

There was no answer, and she feared there never would be.

~~ _**Ɨ'Μ ĆØΜƗŇǤ ₣ØŘ ¥ØỮ Ň€ЖŦ ƤƗŇ€ ŦŘ€€** _ ~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TJPMZ OJJ GVOZ KDIZ OMZZ KDIFT RVN IZQZM TJPM AMDZIY
> 
> IJR DON ODHZ AJM OCZ RJMGY OJ ZIY


	18. You Can't Break a Diamond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> or can you?
> 
> •◡•

Mabel sniffled quietly in the coat room, her heart aching so much she was afraid she was going to die. Surely, Bill had just tricked him, like he had tricked her, right?

“Connie…Steven wouldn’t have done this on purpose, right?”

“ _mmm!”_

She hadn’t been able to bring herself to look Connie in the eye. After all, she was Steven’s girlfriend, she could’ve known, and done something to stop Steven. Finally taking her first deep breath since she had found Pacifica earlier in the evening, she knew she had to do _something_.

“Look, Connie, I don’t care if he’s your boyfriend or not, he’s going to kill my brother, and **I’m not letting him do that.** I’m gonna find a fucking way to get out of here if it kills me.”

“ _MMM! MM! MM!_ ”

Finally, she looked at Connie’s face, and all at once she understood.

“You…you didn’t know, did you?”

Connie’s face was streaked with tears, similar to what Mabel assumed her own face looked like. Her own heart was breaking, but she still had enough compassion to understand that Connie had just been hurt as well.

“We’ll figure out what’s going on, but…we have to get out of here.”

Mabel shifted her arms, pleased to discover that although they were bound together, she still had mobility. She struggled to stand, and discovered she could crawl, but most certainly not stand.

Running down the long halls of the second floor, Dipper searched desperately for the girls, fear growing more each moment.

“Wendy, Connie, come in.”

Silence.

“Shit!”

Dipper tiredly rubbed his eyes as he ran even faster. Finally he came to an ornate door that was set apart from the others. Desperately flinging it open, he was astonished to see Gideon Gleeful on the floor, struggling to get up.

“Where the hell are they, you bastard?!”

Steven yelled while shaking Gideon by his shoulders.

“D…Dipper?! _Dipper, you’re all in danger! Bill Cipher, h-he’s back and-_ “

Realization clouded his face as Gideon’s words sank in. Bill wouldn’t purposely tell him that he was back. Letting go of Gideon’s shoulders, and instead helping him sit upright, he took in the state the boy was in. His body seemed more fragile.

“Gideon…? But…Bill was in _your_ body. Where…where is he now?!”

Panting lightly, Gideon looked up into his eyes, his resolve strengthening by the moment.

“I’m not sure, but there’s something you need to know about a kid named Steven-“

Dipper let out a shuddering gasp. Steven would never do anything to hurt him. He knew that for a fact. He had felt it when they were Dipven. Gideon watched Dipper, a confused look plastered on his face. Confusion was beginning to be one of his main emotions, and he certainly wasn’t a fan of it.

“Okay, I-I…it’ll be fine. You need to get some sleep, man. I-I gotta go find Wendy and Connie, there’s no telling what Bill could’ve done to them already. Just…stay here, and I’ll be back for you, okay?”

He helped Gideon into the bed before he left the room, his worry and fear ever increasing. He hadn’t gotten far from the room when he ran into Steven.

“Steven! I haven’t been able to find either of them, I-I’m worried, what if-what if Bill got them?”

Dipper could feel tears (whether from frustration or fear, he couldn’t tell you) threatening to spill onto his cheeks as he spoke quickly. He had to find them, he _had_ to, before Bill did.

“ **Don’t worry, Dipper, we’ll find them!** ”

Steven smiled as he spoke, but Dipper, despite his fear, recognized something familiar.

“…oh god, no…”

“ **hahahaha! It took you long enough, Pine Tree! Pinky here and I have been friends for _years_ , best pals!**”

Dipper raised a shaking hand to cover his mouth, realization setting in. He’d been played. Tricked, all this time. His mind ran wild:

_How long has this been going on? Why would Steven trust Bill? Did…did he plan this all along? Was he ever really my friend?_

Forcing himself to hold back tears so Bill wouldn’t see, he launched himself towards him.

“I don’t care if you _are_ a traitor, Steven, Bill is a fucking monster, and you’re wrong to trust him!”

“ **Haha, wrong answer, Pine Tree. Y’see, Pinky here made a deal when he was just a little _brat_. Now, I have control over all of his powers!**”

Instead of colliding with Steven, Dipper hit a hard, pink wall. He had known that Steven was weird to begin with, but this certainly wasn’t one of _Bill’s_ powers. Sliding down to the ground, he felt blood drip down his face. Gritting his teeth, and hoping against all odds, he turned to throw a punch at Steven/Bill.

“Get out of his body, _BILL_!”

This time, pink walls surrounded him, closing in on him quickly. He stared up at Steven, the faint glimmer of hope he had fading.

“ _Steven, stop, you’re hurting me!_ ”

Dipper cried out in pain as the walls began to crush his body. Looking up at the person he had called a friend, he saw something flash in his eyes. Suddenly they weren’t yellow, and instead they were pink. Steven, floating 3 feet in the air, stared back at Dipper, eyes flashing wildly from a violent yellow to a brilliant pink.

Dipper cried out again as he felt his arms beginning to, what he assumed, break. The tears he had so desperately been holding back were now flowing freely down his face. Breathlessly, he spoke once more to Steven.

“ _Y-you’re…a m-monster._ ”

Steven/Bill’s eyes grew wide before turning pitch black, one pupil pink, the other yellow. Dipper watched on in fear.

This is absolutely not what she had expected this night to turn out like. She was currently trapped in an empty room, guards crawling all over the hall just beyond the doorway.

“Ugh…where _are_ they?! Dipper, Connie, come in.”

Keeping a careful watch on the door as she whispered to her earpiece, she was surprised to hear muffled grunts. Listening closer, she recognized Mabel’s grunts and groans in irritation and frustration. A frantic voice outside the door caught her attention.

“ _…we have a situation, our orders are to protect Ms. Northwest…”_

Wendy smirked, she was gonna get out of that room, and meet up with whoever was in the coat room. She hoped it was most of their group.

Slipping out the door silently, she sped silently towards the stairs, making sure to keep in the shadows. She carefully watched as the household staff frantically ran either towards or away from something. Looking in the direction the bodyguards were heading, she hoped it wasn’t any of their group causing the commotion. She swallowed nervously as she finally made her way downstairs.

Looking all around her before she moved again, she ran full speed to the coat room, and was astonished at what she saw.

Connie and Mabel were still tied up, much to their frustration. Mabel had managed to wiggle her way over to Connie, but she hadn’t been able to do much else.

“Mabel?! Connie?! What the fuck happened?”

Wendy rushed to free the girls, worry now replacing her frustration. Looking at their faces, she could tell they had both been crying.

“U-um…S-Steven…”

Connie couldn’t even get her sentence out before she choked on her own words.

“ _Bill took over Steven’s body and he’s going after Dipper!!_ ”

Mabel blurted out, a fresh look of panic on her face. Wendy’s heart dropped. She thought back to the commotion she had been hearing on the second floor, and realized it had likely been Dipper and/or Steven/Bill.

“Guys, we have to get back upstairs. Dipper’s gonna need all the help he can get, let’s move!”

Mabel struggled to her feet, leaning on Connie for support as they made their was back to the second floor.

“చǶȺͲ įϚ ͲǶįϚ, φįហҠӋ?! ӋටԱའ βටᎠӋ ↻Ⱥហ'Ͳ ↻ටហͲའටꝈ ͲǶįϚ φටచƐའ”

Dipper watched as Steven/Bill clutched at his body, which was growing and shrinking suddenly, light pink horns beginning to grow on the top of his head.

“N̷̡̺̖̯̜̘͓̲̼̫̔͛̔̀O̷̧͕̙̖̪̣͉͚̙̦̅̓͆̐͂̿̎,̸̢̭̞̯͔̼͎̠̺̏̑ ̶̧̺̣̓̊̔C̸̨̡͎̗̥͔̬̰̜̻̓Ĭ̵̛̱͚͇̖̳̝̩̊̇̑̚P̶̛̟̞̿̑̔͝H̷̛̞̰̟͐͐͆É̴͉̆́̒R̵̞͔̙͉̯̟͂̈́̈́̌̕̕ͅ **,̸̢̙̲̫̺͎̦̾ ̶̡̦̰͇̳͍̺͉͎͉̈́̈́̇̽͝Y̵̪̗̳̬̖̌̒̆̔͌͗̉̈͝͠Ö̸̧̡̞́͊̆͋͗̚͠Ư̷̬̠̠͓̑̆́͗͑͘ ̶̯͖̤̳̭̜͑̒̿͌** C̸̠̝͍̩̱̾̄̑̎̀́͑̉͌Á̸̛̹̹̬̇͑͒̈́̈̕N̶̢̥̦͗̿̅'̴̨̧̡̢̗̩̽̈́Ṱ̵̟̦͚͓͙̥̙͇̔͐͌̒̚ͅ ̴̧̨̢͈͔̯̺̭̣͚̆̃̔͛̏̈̽̉̍̊Ç̴̡̲͕̪̥͘ͅO̶̮̍͗̂̃N̶͕̻̳̬͉͂̒̒T̵̬̹̲̞̜͚̔̒͆͘ͅR̸̻̱̰̣̰̲͙̱̤̂̌͐Ơ̷͙͗̃̈́͊̌͊̈́̈́͝L̵̲͐̈̌̋ ̸̪͖͕̩̫̻͈̹̐̽̿̑Ṯ̶̺͙̜̳̗͍̋̿̌̆̉͘͜Ḩ̶̬̤̰̙͓͚̐̌̀͐̇̈́̍͐̎͠Í̷̙̦̩͖̰̈̄̏̈̂̏̈́̓͛S̶̳͇͖̖͐̄̂͘͠ ̵̨͚͚̗͇̝͎̹̒͋̅̌͒̉̽͒̕P̵̨̦̼̗͋͗̓͘ͅȌ̵̮̤̫Ẅ̷̰̌̐̓Ĕ̶̞̒͌Ŗ̸̝̤͔̖̈̄̊ͅ,̸̜̮͓͕̫̇̋͒̍̎̅ ̷̛̭̣̤̤̜̥͔̦̪͆̽͛̌͒Ÿ̶̳͖̜͕͈͇͙͌̆O̶͉̼̙͛͐̓̿̾͒̆͝Ṷ̶̬̂̈́ ̸̦̯̬͈̼̽͌̌̉̈́̉͂͐̐͝A̴͍̱̰̺̙̹͋R̵̤̘̭̲̘͚͎̓̓̏̄̈̿̓̒̎E̴͖͎͖͋̑̍ ̵̤̦̪͍̮̭̜̊̂̓̃̈͑̓̌̽N̸̡̯͈̦̹̅́̽̈̋̂̈͠Ǫ̷͚͐̎̌͑̈͒͠ͅͅŢ̸̳̜̪̜̣̝̣̩̍͌̈́̆̄̉ ̵̛̰͌͌̏̍̒Ā̸͇̬̺͙͈̋̈́̓̓̄̾ ̷̜̜̮̂D̸̪̅͛̎̓̿̉Ỉ̵̧̲̣͙͍͓̤̩̓̅̊͆͐̽̕ͅA̴̧͍̺̿͗̕͜M̷̫̓͆̿̈́̄̓̋Ơ̶̡̧̦̱͈͉̫͎̰̽̎͑̍̚̚N̴̤̏̿̉ͅḐ̵̭̤̦̜̖̪̱̪̉̒̓̕”

Suddenly, Dipper could no longer see or hear the battle, all that he could see were pink walls. And then everything went dark.

_“What? Wh-where am I?”_

_“ **Long time, no see, Pinky.** ”_

_Steven felt chills as he turned to see his old imaginary friend, floating at eye level. So this is what it was coming down to._

_“ **Remember our deal, Pinky? I’m making good on it, and you’re powerless to stop it.** ”_

_Steven fell to his knees, as the memory play out before him. He had promised to help Bill, no matter what, once he could control his powers. Breathing heavily, he watched as the memory played, over and over. Tears dripping down his cheeks, he couldn’t look away. It was his fault. Everything that had happened was his fault._

_At last, he was able to hear Dipper’s voice clearly, and he was utterly horrified to hear him call him a monster. He could feel his mental state deteriorating back to what it had been to cause his corruption two years ago._

_“N-no, please god, no…”_

_He sniffled quietly as his worst memories played before him, powerless to stop them. His corruption, the Cluster, when Connie rejected his proposal, when he shattered Jasper…_

_He could no longer control his breathing, fear taking over his entire body._

“I̵̥̰͈̘̦͚̮̘̊͛͋ͅ'̵̨̨͎͎̹̐̑̉̄̓͑̉̇̕L̵̡̟̈́L̶̨̨̨̫̱̤͇̇͑͘ ̴̢̤̹̭̰̙̲͎͌K̶̡̛͙̙͓͙͚̃͆̅̃̚͜͠Ï̶̛͚̆̏̽̚L̴̮̄̽̂̒͠L̸̬̺̗̭̦͋̔̈̌͐̅̽͐̕͜͝ ̷̯̪̲̱̦̰̄͑̃̑̄̚ͅY̴̧̩̱͍͈̋͆̎̿̍͝Ó̶̹̻̫͍͌͗̇̎͝Ư̵̩̤͖̰͓͎͓̲̓̌̑,̸͔̞̘̮̇͆̓͌͐ ̴̫͔͍̾̈͘̚P̵̡͈̟̙͇̝̤͇͍̱̏͑̓͛͆͂̈́̈͘͠I̶̘̰͇̹̐Ņ̸͔̜͚̭͙̖̟̐͗͆̈́̚K̶̡̰͔̖͍͐̈̋̿ͅY̶̧̡̛̘̖̤͍̩̥̦̍͊̔̽̏̅̍͛,̴̗̈̈́ ̶̡̲͙̝̯̮̟̜̔͌̑͋͠A̴̪̲̪̥̩̞̳̖̗͌̃͊͌̄N̵̢̧͍̞̦͈̪̪̤̈͒ͅD̸̹̳̥̳̰͋̾̋̒̓̍͐͜ ̸̳͚̘̿͑̀̈͘͝Ỵ̴͖̭͉̿͆̉͑̓̔̈́̃̚͝O̷̧̭̬̞͙̻̗̎̉̀͒U̸͙̐̔̈́̎̎͗̑͝'̶͎͇̯͗͊L̴̗̋͑͋̑́͗͌̓L̴̨̲͖̺̙̻̞̳͗ ̴̡̃B̴͇̠͓̬̞̹͔̈́̏͂̈́͒̏̉ͅE̶͈̯͖̎̾͗̑͝ ̷̧̢̨̲͓͓̯̫͍͓̅̎̂̊͋̚̕N̵̼̗͓̤̰̅͋̌̏̃̐̾͜͝E̸͔̞̘̚͝X̷̣͉͋̉̽̌̔̈́̚T̸̳̘̟̲͙̾̃̉̿͒̓ ̵̥͙̱̐̋̂̐̑̍P̵͈͈̮͎̑͂͒̌̎̏͝I̵̢͍̹̩̤̟̫̜͕͎̓̈̆͆̇̑͂̐͒N̷̝̤͖͕͉̦̤͎̊̃̈̏̒̂́͒̑͠ͅȨ̴̘͈͍̹͉͙̲͂̀̐̎̿̆̽̌̕ ̷̲̹̇̈́͘T̴̨̛̖͉̜̣̣͔̳̈̾͑̉͜ͅR̴̙̅̔E̸̛͉̗̯̯̦̙͖̖̘̹̎͑̋̂̿̾͝Ȩ̶͆̈̾͛͌͌̚”

Bill/Steven’s scream echoed through the halls. The house went silent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YMJ UTBJW TK F INFRTSI N BNQQ HTSYWTQ NY UNSPD
> 
> F KZXNTS BTZQI GJ UJWKJHY FSI UQJFSY KWJFPD


	19. You're a Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Better think fast

Steven had lost control, not even Bill could control the powers of a corrupted diamond. He was violently thrown out of Steven’s mind, colliding with the walls surrounding Dipper. Frustration clear on his face, it quickly turned to a look of horror as he watched Steven corrupting slowly. His eyes black, his pupils brilliant pink as he clutched at his head.

“ _Steven!_ ”

Connie’s scream reverberated through the room, and for a moment, time stood still. Mabel and Wendy looked on in fear as they realized that the monster who even **_Bill Cipher himself_** was hiding from, was _Steven_. Bill looked over at the three girls, noticing they had distracted Steven. Moving quickly, he made his move to take back control. But this time, he was going to try a different approach.

“ **Heya Pinky, you haven’t fulfilled your end of the deal. I’ll be taking back control now!** ”

Bill grabbed Steven’s hand, razor sharp claws narrowly missing him. A blinding flash of yellow and pink colliding and melding into one being gave way to the humans in the room panicking. Connie stood frozen in horror as she looked at the _massive_ forced fusion that was her boyfriend and Bill Cipher. Wendy and Mabel were desperately tugging on her arms, trying to get her out of the way, but she stood frozen to the spot.

“Connie, that’s not Steven anymore, we have to get out of here and find Dipper!”

Mabel was crying once again, she had to know if her brother was okay. Fear was coursing through her veins as she ran to stand in front of Connie, whose expression left Mabel with more questions.

“…Connie…?”

“I’m not leaving him. He needs _help_ , Mabel.”

Her voice shook, but she stood firm. A quiet groan from several feet behind the monstrous fusion caught their attention. Mabel went to run towards it, but Connie stopped her.

“Mabel, take my phone. I need you to get Wendy and everyone downstairs out. When you open my phone, go to contacts and call Pearl. Tell her that Connie told you to call her and that we need help, Steven’s in danger again. Okay?”

Connie spoke softly, concern in her voice, as Mabel stared at her confusedly.

“I’ll find Dipper and get him out, but you need to get everyone else out, now go! Hurry!”

She turned Mabel so she would be facing towards the stairs and gave her a gentle push. Finally, Mabel took off running towards the stairs, grabbing Wendy’s hand on the way. Connie watched as the two girls ran down the stairs, leaving her alone to deal with the fusion and find Dipper.

“ ** _WELL WELL WELL, HELLO THERE LITTLE KNIGHT. THIS IS A BATTLE YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO WIN._** ”

Gritting her teeth, she looked up, only to be glared at by four yellow eyes, pink diamond pupils serving as a reminder that her boyfriend was still in there somewhere, but his consciousness was gone. Swallowing harshly, she charged at him, prepared to use her fists against him. At the last second, she rolled behind him and hid behind the pink walls that surrounded Dipper. She looked at the fragile boy, laying limp behind the protective walls. She began pounding on them, hoping she could break them to get through to the teen.

_Dipper looked around, memories playing all around him. These weren’t his own memories, he realized. Walking slowly through the air, it felt like, he watched carefully, and soon recognized Steven in these memories._

_Walking further, he heard a faint whimper, not muffled like the memories. His heart pounding, he walked faster and faster, before he finally broke into a run. The whimpers got louder the farther he ran, but suddenly he saw a memory of Steven and Bill. Steven couldn’t have been much older than seven._

_“Heya Pinky! How about we make a deal?”_

_“…like a-a promise?”_

_“Yeah, just like a promise.”_

_Steven smiled as Bill held out his hand, blue flames engulfing both of them._

_Dipper covered his mouth to muffle his own fearful whimpers as he charged headfirst through the memory. He couldn’t bear knowing that Steven, one of the few people he had grown to trust, especially after fusing with him, had betrayed him. Finally, he reached the source of the whimpering. There stood Steven, hugging himself, tears streaming down his cheeks as his body flashed pink._

_He was quietly mumbling to himself, hiccups interrupting him every few moments. Frowning, Dipper walked over to him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. He wanted to yell, to scream, to demand why Steven had done such things, but something told him not to do those things._

_“ **D-Dipper?!** ”_

_The panic in Steven’s voice sent Dipper into a concerned panic, locking his eyes with Steven’s. Suddenly a new memory appeared before them, a shared memory of Steven’s first night in Gravity Falls. Ignoring it, Dipper focused on Steven. He was angry, he was hurt and he was **afraid** of him now._

_“Steven, h-how could you trust Bill fucking Cipher?!”_

_“D-Dipper…I-I…I was a kid...”_

_A memory of Bill dragging a sobbing Steven into the darkness flashed behind him, followed by a memory of Greg holding Steven, fear and panic gripping him tightly._

_Another memory, this time belonging to Dipper; Bill Cipher torturing his body, using it to get what he wanted, but ultimately failing._

_Dipper sighed, still unsure of how to feel about Steven._

_“We…we were both tricked by him, weren’t we?”_

_Steven nodded, pink finally beginning to fade._

_“I-it’ll take me awhile to trust you again. But…I know what it’s like to be tricked by someone you thought you could trust. But…They need us. We need **you**. Bill is controlling you, you have to get back your control.”_

_“I-I can’t.”_

_“What?”_

_“It was part of the deal. He held up his end, now I’m being forced to hold up my end of the deal.”_

_“What exactly **was** the deal you made?”_

_Steven sniffled as he looked at his feet._

_“Once I was able to use all of my powers, he was free to use my body however he chose.”_

_“That’s fucked up, Steven.”_

_“I was like six, Dipper, I didn’t know any better.”_

_Dipper rubbed the bridge of his nose, his mind running a million miles a second. Suddenly, he realized something._

_“Steven, if **you’re** here because Bill is controlling you, why am **I** here?”_

Mabel and Wendy were desperately trying to direct the high class attendees of the party to safety, while also coming up with varied answers as to what the emergency was.

“Mabel, didn’t Connie say you needed to call someone? Go do that now, I can handle this. Hopefully whoever it is that you’re calling will be able to help.”

Mabel nodded her head as she dashed off to the coat room, hoping it would be quiet. She was beyond grateful when she discovered it was.

Unlocking Connie’s phone, which thankfully only had a simple slide lock on it, she pulled up the contacts and scrolled until she found Pearl. She heard a loud crash as she pressed the dial button.

“What’s wrong Pearl?”

“Oh, Connie’s calling me, Volleyball. She doesn’t normally call at this time, I should see if there’s anything wrong.”

Pearl kissed Volleyball’s cheek as she got up from her spot on the couch where they had been cuddling. Looking at her phone once more before answering, Pearl took a deep breath.

“Connie! Is everything alright, you don’t normally call at this hour?”

“ _H-hello? Is…is this Pearl?_ ”

Pearl thought she may collapse from the sudden realization that this most certainly wasn’t Connie that had called her.

“Yes, who is this?”

“ _My name is Mabel, Connie told me to call you, and tell you we need your help, and that Steven’s in danger again._ ”

Pearl’s eyes widened as realization set in. Gritting her teeth, she spoke once more.

“Mabel, we’re on our way. I believe Steven said he was in Gravity Falls now, is that correct?”

“ _Yes. Please hurry, we don’t know wh-_ “

There was a loud crash and a scream before the line went dead. Pearl felt her heart drop, fear enveloping her. Quickly, she called the gems, panic rising.

“Garnet! Amethyst! We need to go to Gravity Falls, Steven is in danger!”

Fresh tears falling, Connie leaned against the walls around Dipper. She couldn’t break them. But they were protecting Dipper, which meant that Steven was still in there somewhere, protecting Dipper. She couldn’t give up on him.

“Come on Connie, think! What would Steven do? Or-or Pearl?”

She tightly squeezed her hands into fists before relaxing them again. She took a deep breath before she turned to look at the fusion. It was almost like other corrupted gems, she realized. Like Steven had been so long ago. But somehow, his size hadn’t increased to be as large as he had been back then. She guessed it must have been because of Bill. A sudden thought struck Connie.

Maybe she _couldn’t_ take this thing on by herself. But she could distract it until help arrived. Stepping out of her shoes, she picked one up and carefully aimed at his face. She threw it as hard as she could, and he turned around, his face flashing wildly between hot pink and brilliant red.

“ ** _HEY ASSHOLE! GET AWAY FROM MY FUCKING BOYFRIEND!_** ”

She grinned wildly as he let loose an enraged roar. Throwing her other shoe, she took off running. She hoped that the girls had gotten everyone out of the house as she sped towards the stairs. She struggled to catch her breath as she narrowly avoided running into one of the many statues scattered throughout the first floor.

Pearl tapped her foot nervously as they waited for Greg to arrive with the van. There was a warp near where they needed to go, but Greg had offered to drive the rest of the way. She closed her eyes, a thousand scenarios running through her mind. Could he have corrupted again? No…she remembered how happy he had been the last time they had video called.

“Pearl, are you okay? You’ve been like…spacing out for a while.”

“I’m just…very worried, Amethyst. What could have happened in such a small town?”

Amethyst frowned worriedly, putting a hand on Pearl’s shoulder.

“It’s _Steven_ , I’m sure he’s gonna be just fine. And even if he’s not, we’ll be there for him.”

Garnet stood off to the side, her visor off, showing her concern for Steven, as well as the other gems. She frowned as she thought back to the last time she had spoken to Steven privately.

_“Garnet, what’s one of the possibilities in this new town?”_

_She chuckled._

_“I see a lot of possibilities there, Steven. Most of them are good. Of course, there are still some bad ones that could happen, but not many. It should be a nice, relaxing stay. Enjoy your time there.”_

_“I will Garnet! I love you, bye!”_

_She had sighed as she exited the video chat. The two of them had learned how to be a lot more open with each other, and she couldn’t have been more grateful. Turning off her phone, she smiled at her lockscreen. It was a picture of her and Steven one of the last times he had visited Beach City._

“Okay, are you guys all ready? Then let’s get going!”

Greg’s voice weighed heavy on all of them, each one worrying for Steven in their own ways. Joining Greg in the car, they headed towards the warp pad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DTZ IFWJ FYYFHP RJ QNYYQJ PSNLMY 
> 
> GJYYJW UWFD DTZ HFS MNIJ


	20. A Knight Will Always Protect Their Liege

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little Knight is in danger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY 100 PAGES

Mabel coughed as she struggled to get herself out from underneath the crumbling debris. Squinting, she realized the coat room was no longer a room. There was a large hole where the door had once been, giving her a clear view into the ballroom. Eyes widening, she saw Connie facing off the monster they had seen on the second floor, sword in hand and what appeared to be a _pink lion_ at her side.

Straining to hear what Connie was screaming at the beast, Mabel became aware of the fact that her legs were trapped underneath a piece of the wall. As she tried to move the piece of rubble, she bit back screams of pain. Suddenly, she felt something coursing through her. It wasn’t often that she could feel these things, but she had learned to know what it meant.

“ _Dipper, wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, please. **Please hurry**._”

She hoped her mental scream would reach him, but at least now she knew he was still alive. Gritting her teeth, she looked around, hoping for _anything_ she could use to help herself out of her current situation. She caught sight of Connie’s phone, and for a moment, she felt a glimmer of hope. If she could just get Ford and Stan to come to the mansion, they might have a fighting chance. Struggling, she reached for it, hoping it was intact.

Billven glared at Connie, his voices overlapping each other.

“ ** _LITTLE KNIGHT, YOU WILL NEVER GET HIM BACK_** ”

“YOU DON’T KNOW STEVEN, LET HIM GO YOU FUCKING MONSTER”

Her tears had turned into unbridled fury, and she had every intention of using that to her advantage. Hopping on Lion, she gripped her sword tightly. Her goal was to avoid injuring him if possible, but she knew there was only a slim chance of that happening.

“Come on Connie, you can handle this. Steven **_is_** still in there, somewhere, and I’m going to find him.”

She swallowed as Lion created a portal that led directly in front of Billven. Gently petting Lion’s fur, she nodded when he looked up at her.

“Let’s get our boy back, Lion.”

They jumped through the portal and Connie attempted to strike him through the chest, but was instantly bounced backwards, pain radiating through her entire body. Landing on the floor in front of Billven, she groaned, but remained on her feet. Groaning, she clutched Lion’s fur as he came to defend her. She knew this was a fight she was losing.

“Greg, hurry! It-it sounded like something horrible happened when that young lady called!”

“Aw geez, I’m going as fast as I can, Pearl!”

Pearl nibbled on her fingertips, mind running wild with explanations. There had to be a reason, but which one was it? Taking a moment to check on the other passengers in the car, she realized she wasn’t the only one that was worried for their boy. Amethyst fidgeted in her seat, absentmindedly shapeshifting her hands into random items, Garnet seemed to be lost in thought, and Greg was only barely managing to contain his panic.

Summoning her phone from her gem, Pearl pulled up the directions to Gravity Falls.

“We’re almost there everyone, we should be prepared to fight. Greg, it’s likely there were many injured humans, you’ll need to help them. When we find Steven, there’s no telling what’s happened, but we’ll find out. We have to be strong for him.”

She was pleased to hear murmurs of approval from the others, hoping she had given them some form of hope, or reassurance. She looked out the window, relieved to see a sign that read: WELCOME TO GRAVITY FALLS.

_The moment Dipper had asked, the memories stopped playing, leaving them suspended in nothing but darkness. As they looked around, they noticed a vivid pink glow coming from far away. Their eyes locked and they knew what they needed to do. As they walked forward, fear growing, they realized that the pink glow was coming from two ‘people’._

_One looked like Steven, only fully pink. The other was a tall woman with light pink hair, and diamond shaped pupils._

_“M-mom? What the hell?”_

_Dipper looked at Steven, confusion growing by the second. But then he heard a soft voice. It was almost silent, but he could hear it._

_“Steven…I’m proud of you. Now fight this monster. You can win if you work together.”_

_She gestured to Pink Steven before she smiled softly, tears in her eyes as she disintegrated into nothing. Dipper looked to Steven, who squared his shoulder before he looked back at the pink version of himself, and then Dipper. He gave him a small smile before he spoke._

_“Dipper, this is what happens to me when my emotions run wild. Mainly negative ones. I suppose this is meant to be representative of that. I have to fight back. Harder than I did before. And this time, I have to win. Or he might kill me. For real. I don’t know why you’re here, but you need to get out of here. I have to face this on my own.”_

_Suddenly, Dipper felt himself being pulled away from Steven, he was powerless to stop it. He could feel tears coming as he tried to process what he had said to him._

_Steven watched as Dipper’s form began to disappear, a small amount of relief washing over him. It wasn’t the first time his mind had used images of himself or his mother to make him realize something he was actively avoiding. He had to let himself become fully pink in order to beat Bill. He frowned, memories flooding back to him._

Finally arriving at the mansion, thanks to Peridot’s ability to track phones, Pearl darted out of the van, closely followed by Garnet and Amethyst. A look of horror was plastered upon her face as she looked at the damage done to the building. As they sped towards the building, they heard a roar from the inside. It was distorted, but they knew what it was.

Pearl looked up at the doors worriedly, a new scenario running through her mind that she hoped wasn’t true. Gritting her teeth, she ran for the door, kicking it down. The first thing she saw was Connie, laying unconscious behind Lion, who was growling at…

“…Steven?”

She could feel her heart breaking with each move he made. Looking closer, she realized this wasn’t _just_ her baby. Whatever this was, it had powers belonging to a Diamond, as well as something else. She desperately wanted to check on her baby, but she knew she had to check on Connie first.

“Connie! Can you hear me?”

There was no response. Pearl carefully checked the smaller girl over, and was relieved to find she was still breathing.

“Lion, protect her, please. I know you can.”

She ruffled his fur before she turned to glare at the beast that she assumed was at least partially Steven. As she summoned her spear, Garnet and Amethyst came crashing in through the front door, catching the beast’s attention.

“Garnet, Amethyst! That… _thing_ is Steven! We have to help him!”

Pearl’s worried shouting made them pause for only a moment. Garnet removed her visor as she surveyed the situation. She glared at what she recognized as an incredibly unstable fusion. She was about to give her orders to carry out the plan that she hoped would save Steven when the fusion stormed towards her, eyes flashing wildly.

She only had time to gasp as the beast bore down on her faster and faster.

When Dipper woke up, he was still being protected by pink walls. Struggling to get up, he gently pushed on one of the walls and was surprised when it disappeared. Shaking his head he attempted once again to stand. Every part of his body felt as if he had been hit by a bus, he realized as he groaned. Looking around, he noticed how trashed the second floor was.

Finally on his feet once again, he leaned on the walls for support as he made his way downstairs, only to see the monster that was Billven. But this time, he saw Connie on the opposite side of the room, unconscious. Not only that, but he saw three women seemingly preparing to fight Billven. He saw what the beast was about to do, but his scream came out too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DTZW UWJHNTZX QNYYQJ PSNLYMY BNQQ GJ IJFI
> 
> HWDXYFQ LJRX ITSY XYFSI F HMFSHJ JAJS NS DTZW MJFI


	21. Break Me Free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> :)

Garnet was the first to be poofed. Screaming in horror, Pearl dashed to grab her gems, Amethyst providing cover from the beast.

“P, we need to retreat and think up a better plan!”

“Amethyst, we don’t have _time_ for that! That’s _Steven_ , he needs help!”

Pearl looked from the beast to Amethyst as she spoke, a look of sheer panic upon her face. Amethyst stared at the creature that was partially her adopted little brother. She wanted to scream, she wanted to cry. Hasn’t _Steven gone through enough?!_ She bit back tears as she pushed Pearl out of the way of the beast.

“A-Amethyst!”

Pearl’s cries did nothing as the beast didn’t hesitate to poof her as well. Rushing past Billven, she grabbed Amethyst’s gem, clutching Ruby and Sapphire close to her chest as she expertly dodged Billven’s attacks. A tear escaped as she looked on in horror. He was charging straight towards her.

“ _S-Steven! Stop! Please!_ ”

“ ** _WHAT IS THIS?! YOU DON’T CONTROL ME, BITCH_** ”

Despite his words, Billven couldn’t move to hurt her. Pearl watched in stunned realization. Her baby was certainly still in there. Resolve growing stronger, she held her poofed comrades close as she evaded him, landing herself in a hole in the wall, where there seemed to be more cover.

Dipper stood frozen at the top of the stairs, shock of witnessing such a battle rendering him unable to move. When he realized that the woman wielding a spear seemed to be able to get through to Steven, he started thinking, trying to come up with a plan. He watched as she dashed away from Billven, flinging herself into what was left of the coat room. Thinking fast, he realized that Billven was going to go after her if he didn’t do something. Looking around, he grabbed a piece of rubble and threw it as hard as he could, aiming for one of the spikes on his back.

He hit his target, which unleashed a furious roar as came running towards him.

“Oh shit! SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHI-I-I-I-I-IT!!”

Dipper ran down the stairs, thankfully avoiding Billven’s attacks, still utterly terrified. For a moment, everything was silent, and he looked behind him to see Billven floating, clutching his head and muttering to himself.

Squinting at the beast, Dipper took the opportunity to quickly go to the coat room and find that woman. He had a plan, but he would need her help.

Wendy stood outside of the mansion, Greg at her side. She had been shocked to see him, but he had quickly explained who he was and why he was there.

“Look, Mr. Universe, they’re gonna need help, I’ve gotta get in there!”

“Wendy, the gems can handle this, I’m sure!”

Glaring at the older man, she pointed at the doors, which were destroyed.

“Maybe your ‘gems’ or whatever the hell they are can handle that, but my _friends_ are in there, and they need _help_! So either stay here, or go with me, but **I’m going.** ”

Greg sighed as he looked at the young woman, a fierce glare firmly upon her features. She wasn’t about to leave her friends in a dangerous situation, and he admired that about her.

“Alright, we got everyone else to safety, let’s go see if we can help.”

“Good. You’re going to have to follow my lead though, there’s no telling what it’s like in there right now.”

He nodded his head in agreement as they walked towards the doors. Once they were close enough, the first thing they heard was Dipper screaming curses at the top of his lungs. Wendy carefully surveyed the ballroom and her eyes landed on the unconscious form of Connie, being guarded by a pink lion.

A look of fear and worry on her face, Greg followed her eyes to see his son’s girlfriend. He clapped a hand over his mouth, fear running wild.

“Stay here, I’m gonna go get her and bring her over here.”

Wendy quietly ran over to Connie, hoping this lion wasn’t going to attack her. The closer she got, the more relaxed it appeared to become. Finally arriving at Connie’s side, she gasped sharply at the state of the younger girl.

“…oh my god. Connie, please be breathing, please, I’m begging you, please be breathing.”

Wendy carefully knelt down next to her, fear and panic bubbling in her chest as she watched Connie’s chest, hoping to see it rise and fall in the pattern of breathing. She bit her lip as she carefully picked up the younger girl and dashed over to Greg.

_Steven fought Bill’s mind with his own, struggling to win. But then he heard Pearl’s voice calling out to him, begging him. He couldn’t hurt Pearl. He **wouldn’t** hurt her. _

_“Bill, the deal’s **off**!”_

_He grit his teeth as he allowed his diamond powers to flow freely, giving off a bright pink glow. Bill’s mental form glowed a brilliant red._

_“ **THE DEAL’S NOT OFF UNTIL I SAY IT IS PINKY! I CAN KEEP YOU TRAPPED IN THIS FUSION FOR AS LONG AS I FUCKING WANT**”_

_Bill’s screaming did nothing to deter Steven. He knew he had to break free. Their fusion was unstable to begin with, it wouldn’t last forever. He glared at the floating triangle, allowing his diamond powers to reach their full potential. It was dangerous to do such a thing, but he was in his own mind, and thus hoped he would still be protecting at least some of the humans in the real world._

_He screamed as he ran towards Bill, summoning pink walls with spikes on them. He hadn’t summoned them in years, but he knew he had to use whatever he could to win against Bill._

_Finally he gripped Bill’s form tightly in his own hands, summoning a bubble around him. He sighed in relief as Bill fought to get out of the bubble. His bubble wouldn’t hold Bill for long and he knew it. Taking a deep breath, Steven screamed, forcing the bubbled demon out of his mind._

In the coat room, Pearl saw a young lady, desperately trying to free herself from the rubble she was underneath. Carefully setting the poofed gems down, she moved the wall that had fallen on the girl.

“Young lady, are you alright?”

Pearl’s worried voice brought Mabel out of her pained daze and she struggled to focus on the woman in front of her. Smacking her lips, she tried to speak.

“…S-St-Steven…an-and Di-Dipper…”

Pearl gently shushed the human girl, brushing her hair out of her face. There were tear streaks decorating her cheeks, and Pearl felt enraged at whoever had caused such pain.

“Now then, why don’t you tell me your name? Let’s see if I can fix you up.”

“…m-my name…is…M-Mabel P-Pines.”

Pearl summoned some bandages from her gem, carefully examining Mabel’s injured legs. One of which seemed to be broken, based on her recent knowledge of how to diagnose and treat human injuries, she carefully moved it around, only to stop when Mabel groaned loudly in pain.

“Mabel, dear, this is going to hurt, but I need to splint your leg, it’s broken.”

Pearl looked into the scared eyes of Mabel, and she hated that she had to do such a painful thing. But she knew it must be done.

“Ready?”

“…mhm…”

Biting her lip, Wendy carefully laid Connie on the ground outside, using her hat as a pillow for her head.

“Greg, please, I need you to check if she’s breathing. I-I don’t think she is, there was s-so much blood…”

He felt his heart sinking as he walked closer, horrified at the teen’s injuries. She had grown far too pale, but he diligently checked her pulse. He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping to find her pulse, even if it was weak.

He felt a hot tear dripping down his cheek as he gently crossed her arms upon her stomach. He turned to look at Wendy, who was covering her mouth with her hands. He shook his head no.

“…Oh my god…”

Greg sniffled quietly as he looked at the young woman he had grown to think of as his own daughter. He desperately tried not to think of what this would do to his already traumatized son. He thought back to when Steven had quietly whispered his plans to propose to this amazing girl on her 20th birthday, and how now he would never have that chance. He struggled to keep his emotions under control as he gazed at the girl. Had he not known the truth, he’d have thought she was simply sleeping. He gently brushed his hand against her now cooling cheek.

“…y’know, I didn’t know her that well. But…she seemed like an amazing person.”

Greg wiped away his tears as he stood.

“She really was. She was a knight, a scholar, and an amazing friend.”

Wendy offered a small smile as she walked over to him.

“Greg, I want to think about her and mourn her too, but there are still people in danger in there.”

He finally looked away from the young woman who’s existence had been ended far too soon, as he nodded. They still had to save his son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> QNYYQJ PSNLMY XFD LTTIGDJ
> 
> STB UNSPD DTZ BNQQ INJ


	22. Be my Light in the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How unexpected.

Pearl picked the teen up carefully, while giving her the gems to hold for the time being. Mabel was struggling to keep her eyes open, pain and exhaustion finally reaching her.

“Mabel, I’m going to take you outside, if I can get past that…thing.”

“…B-Billven…”

“Is that its name?”

Mabel nodded her head, leaning into Pearl’s shoulder. It reminded Pearl of how Steven used to cuddle her when he was younger. She bit her lip as she looked up at the beast. A jolt of realization surged through her body as she watched the fusion trying to tear itself apart.

“hold on tight, I’m going to get you out of here, but it’s going to be very fast and it might hurt you, okay?”

“…uh-huh…”

Darting towards the door, Pearl made it the doorstep and paused only long enough to set the injured girl down carefully. She brushed her bangs out of her face before she turned back to see the beast nearly unfusing. It was growling and roaring at itself, when she saw her opening. Summoning her spear, she ran towards the beast, using her spear to finally split it apart.

The resulting flash of hot pink followed by brilliant blue blinded her for only a few moments. Floating there, she saw Steven, partially corrupted. Biting back her tears, she moved towards him cautiously. He seemed to still be fighting something within himself, she noticed. Looking to the other portion of the fusion, she recognized who it was from the many drawings Steven had shown her when he was younger.

“Steven, can you hear me?”

He looked at her, and her heart broke as she saw those same eyes that he had when he had corrupted the first time. They were black, with pink diamond pupils. He looked… _afraid_. He bared his teeth and started growling, and Pearl turned to look behind her.

“ _Bill Cipher._ You’ve tormented my baby long enough!”

“ ** _HE’S MINE TO CONTROL YOU USELESS PEARL._** ”

Glaring at the demon, she launched herself forward, aiming her spear for his eye.

Greg and Wendy had seen Pearl come running out the doors and immediately run back in, but they hadn’t expected to find Mabel on the doorstep, barely conscious.

“Mabel! What happened?”

“…I-I….got trapped under some-some rubble. Sh-she helped m-me.”

Wendy sighed in relief. At least she wasn’t losing another friend today. Sudden realization covered her face as she remembered they still hadn’t found Dipper. Struggling to contain her panic, she looked from Mabel to Greg.

“Mabel, did you see your brother anywhere?”

She shook her head tiredly. Wendy grit her teeth as she prepared to speak. Before she could say anything, however, they were startled by the gems Mabel had been holding glowing brightly and floating in the air.

“Ugh, that took way too long! Wh-who the fuck are _you_?!”

“Amethyst!”

“Greg?”

“This is Wendy, one of Steven’s friends. What happened in there?”

Amethyst looked down, a million thoughts running through her mind. She remembered Connie, how Pearl had been yelling orders, how they had discovered that the monster was actually _Steven_.

“Greg, C-Connie, she…she needs help!”

He looked away, hand covering his mouth. Amethyst silently watched him as he pointed at the body laying several feet away.

“…n-no, she…she can’t! Greg, she can’t really be!”

Tears forming in her eyes, Amethyst ran over to Connie, her heart breaking as she saw how pale the girl had become. She hadn’t looked like that when they had arrived.

“N-no, Steven…Steven can fix her up! O-or the healing fountain! R-right?”

“I don’t know, Amethyst. There’s a lot that I don’t know right now. Pearl is still in there, fighting.”

Amethyst bit her finger lightly as she thought, trying to process what was happening. Looking back at the two girls she didn’t recognize, she saw Sapphire and Ruby’s gems glowing. She breathed a sigh of relief as the two gems began to reform, joining each other as their new forms were shown.

“Amethyst, we have to get back inside, Pearl needs our help.”

Biting her lip, Amethyst nodded as they took off running back into the building, leaving Wendy to stare in confusion.

“Don’t worry about it, Wendy. The gems are all back now. They can do this.”

“I hope so.”

Dipper had reached the coat room just after they had left, much to his annoyance. But now he had a much clearer view of what was happening. He watched closely as the woman Billven had called Pearl launched her attack, her spear going not just through his eye, but his entire body. He gasped softly as she formed a bubble around what was left of the demon, before sending it off to god knows where.

“Look out!”

His yell thankfully reached her in time, as she dodged Steven’s attack. Not only that, but two other strangely colored women appeared, wrapping their arms around Steven. Dipper gasped again as he watched Pearl walk back towards Steven.

“Steven…you’re safe now. We’re right here with you. Can you hear me, in there?”

Pearl felt a tear drip down her cheek as she gently put her hand on his face, not fearing the large fangs he had grown. She smiled softly, gazing into those black eyes, her heart breaking a little more with each moment that passed.

“We’re right here, Steven. We’re here.”

Her voice cracked as she finished speaking.

“Come on dude! I _know_ you’re still in there. But Pearl’s right. We’re here for you, and we love you. So please…wake up.”

Amethyst hugged his arm tightly, not caring for the spikes that had formed all over him. Garnet carefully moved his face, so they would be facing each other. Removing her visor, she let him see the tears in her eyes.

“Steven, you’ve always put others before yourself. Just like you put Sapphire and Ruby’s needs before your own back when you were younger. Now, you need to put yourself first. We’re here, Steven. And we love you.”

Steven had been struggling to break free, but now that he was being immobilized by the gems hugs, his roars and growls had become whimpers. Pearl looked up at him, tears flowing freely as she watched his expression begin to soften. Brilliant pink tears began dripping out of his eyes, which soon returned to their normal state, leaving Steven in an exhausted state.

“…P-Pearl?”

“Shh, Steven, I’m right here. You’re safe now. You did it.”

The trio gently placed him on the ground, watching as his body slowly began returning to it’s human form. Steven let out pained groans and gasps as his skin began to lose it’s pink glow, his horns and spikes slowly sinking back into his skin, leaving scars all over him.

He clung to Pearl’s hand as if she were his lifeline throughout his transformation. Pearl tried desperately not to let him see her fear and worry for him, but it was obvious to everyone.

Finally, his form was human again, albeit battered, bruised and scarred now. He whimpered tiredly as Pearl moved so his head would rest on her lap. She gently brushed her fingers through his hair as she murmured words of comfort to him.

Finally, Dipper struggled to make his way towards Steven and the strange women surrounding him. Shock and concern radiating through his body, he wondered if it was finally over. The women seemed to think so.

“..uh…h-hello?”

He hated how he stuttered when he was afraid. He wanted to appear strong to these women who had fought such a monster.

“Who are you?”

Pearl spoke softly, so as not to wake the now sleeping boy she cradled gently.

“Dipper P-Pines, ma’am. Steven’s my friend, is he okay?”

“He will be. Oh my stars, Amethyst, Garnet, we need to go help Connie, and that other young lady!”

He looked confusedly between the three women, wondering what they meant. All at once, realization set in.

“W-wait! You found my sister, Mabel?!”

“Yes, but she was injured.”

“Oh god. Wh-where is she?”

“Outside, where we need to be going. Come on now.”

Gently picking up Steven, she led the others towards the door. They were almost there when Amethyst placed a hand on Pearl’s shoulder

“P…Connie. She…She’s…”

“She’s _what_ , Amethyst?”

Unable to explain what she had been told, what she had seen before the battle, Amethyst pointed to what looked almost like a mannequin, laying on the ground several feet past the door.

Panic setting in, Pearl clutched Steven tightly as she ran out the door. She froze at the sight that greeted her. There was Connie, looking far too pale and lifeless. To the side, Greg and Wendy were tending to Mabel, worried expressions firmly in place.

Carefully, she set Steven down next to Greg, who nodded thankfully. Finally, she walked over to Connie, memories of her training the young knight playing in a loop in her mind. This girl was far too young to die, she thought. She knelt down next to her, fresh tears falling down her cheeks.

Suddenly, she remembered something. She had a bottle of water from the healing fountain. She knew it wasn’t likely to work, but she had to try.

Summoning the bottle from her gem, she carefully let a few drops enter Connie’s mouth. Continuing to administer to the girl, she dropped tiny amounts of the water on her injuries. Her bruises and cuts began to disappear, and for a moment, Pearl felt hopeful. Pausing in her actions, she watched carefully to see if the younger woman’s chest would begin to rise and fall once more.

Steven could hear, but everything was muffled. He heard the gems talking, but he couldn’t understand what they were saying. He heard Wendy and Dipper. And then he heard Greg. Groaning as he struggled to open his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of his dad, tears in his eyes.

“Hey Schtu-ball.”

“…d-dad?”

Smiling through his tears, Greg threw his arms around his son. Steven whimpered as he returned the embrace. Suddenly, he caught sight of Pearl, only a few feet away.

“…wh-what’s Pearl doing?”

Greg looked away, not wanting to cause his son even more pain. But he knew that Steven had to find out what happened eventually. Sighing, he began to speak.

“Steven…it’s Connie. She…she was badly hurt and…we were too late.”

His eyes grew wide in horror. He had caused this. He was the one who hadn’t been able to fight back against Bill and he knew it. Tears beginning to slip down his cheeks, he tried to run towards her, but he collapsed before he could even get close. Worry clouding Greg’s mind, he helped his son stand, and supported him as they walked over to Connie and Pearl.

Steven collapsed onto his knees, gently lifting Connie into his lap. His tears began to fall freely now as he hugged her one last time.

“…C-Connie! I’m-I’m sorry, I n-never should have…asked you to h-help!”

He was overcome with pain, guilt and sorrow. He didn’t notice her colors slowly beginning to change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DTZ HFSY PJJU RJ MJWJ KTWJAJW


	23. A Life Returned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shorter than usual and no cipher on this chapter due to shoulder pain and also I need sleep

The humans and gems watched as Connie’s darker tones began to change to deep pink, unleashing a blinding flash of pink light. The humans covered their eyes as the gems watched the light begin to fade, leaving Connie and Steven in darkness. Pearl rushed forward to check the young woman’s injuries. She was scarred, certainly, but that wasn’t what caught her attention. Connie’s chest was slowly moving up and down; she was breathing again.

“…Steven…?”

He sniffled as he gently laid Connie back down, finally looking at her again, shock creeping onto his face as he registered what had just happened. Fear, shock and guilt ran through him all at once as he watched his love’s form breathing once again.

“C-Connie?”

Before he had the chance to try and wake her, a resounding crash sounded out amongst the rubble from the fight. Soon, they heard a feminine voice coughing and calling for help. Wendy and Amethyst rushed to find the source, and were shocked to see none other than Pacifica herself, a look of sheer fury on her face.

“Pacifica! Wh-what happened? Mab-“

“Where is Mabel, I need to talk to her right fucking now. I don’t care of Bill Cipher murders me in cold blood, she deserves to know the truth.”

Wendy looped Pacifica’s arm around her shoulder, walking towards where Dipper and Mabel laid, trying to recover from the events of the evening. Pacifica bit her lip harder as they got closer, fear and anxiety filling her.

“P-Pacifica?”

She threw herself into Mabel’s arms, messy, pained tears flowing freely as she struggled to speak.

“ _Mabel, I’m so…so so sorry for **everything**!_ I-I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness after how badly I must have hurt you. Bill….he-he took control of Gideon and he used him against me, and-and he threatened to kill you if I didn’t do what he told me to-“

Mabel gently pressed a bruised finger against Pacifica’s lips, quieting the sobbing girl. There were tears in her eyes as she tilted her head, judging her reactions, and deciding she had been truthful. She hugged her closely as she spoke softly.

“Pacifica, Bill Cipher is a monster, and you did all of that…just to protect me?”

Pacifica nodded against Mabel’s shoulder, confirming the answer.

“Thank you, Pacifica. I want to trust you again, but you’ll have to earn it back. But I’m so happy you’re okay! I love you so much!”

Mabel sniffled as she buried her face into Pacifica’s shoulder, grateful to finally have her beloved back by her side. Exhaustion suddenly hitting her again, she broke away from the hug, brushing Pacifica’s hair out of her face.

“We…we need to get home, I think.”

“Connie?”

Steven anxiously spoke as she groaned quietly, not yet opening her eyes. He gently squeezed her hand, hoping to see her eyes soon. Suddenly they flew open, and she quickly moved to look at Steven. However, the sudden rapid movements caused her to become dizzy.

“St-Steven! You’re okay!?”

She gently put her hand on his face, looking into his eyes before she noticed the color of her own hand. She gasped softly as she looked at her hand, which was now a deep pink. It shook as she looked from it to Steven.

“I-I was gone, wasn’t I? But…you-you brought me back…”

She hadn’t noticed how raspy her voice had become. The last thing she remembered was fighting Billven and being mercilessly thrown into the walls many times over. How Billven’s claws had dug into her skin. She shivered at the memory and Steven gently put his hands on her shoulder.

“Connie I-I’m sorry, I!”

She softly shushed him, remembering the guilt he had felt for bring Lars back from the dead all those years ago. She remembered how many nights he had woken up from a nightmare, only to call her, sobbing about how guilty he had felt.

“Steven, I know you didn’t mean to. But you did. And I’m here now. I’m right here. And besides that, you weren’t yourself.”

She spoke softly, knowing how horrible, how exhausted her boyfriend must feel for the events of the evening. She wasn’t looking forward to explain what happened to her parents or her friends, but currently, she was more concerned with the boy who was trembling-whether from guilt, pain or exhaustion-she didn’t know.

“Come on, we need to get some rest, Steven.”

Pearl rushed forward to check on the young couple, taking only a moment to register that Connie was newly pink. She carefully put her arms around Steven, gently lifting him up, just as she had done when he was younger. She wasn’t too surprised that he was willingly allowing her to do such a thing.

“Connie, I-I’m…so happy you’re alright.”

“It’s all thanks to Steven, Pearl. But he needs rest. Where are all the others?”

“Over here, come on now. Steven, you can rest. I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise.”

Pearl smiled softly as Steven’s eyelids began to droop. She was silent as they joined the rest of their group, Garnet and Amethyst watching Steven, worry in their eyes.

“We need to rest. All of us. Is-is there anywhere we can go?”

As she spoke, Ford, Stan and Fiddleford arrived in the Stanleymobile, honking the horn loudly. She gasped as she jumped behind a fence, clutching Steven tightly against her body.

“Grunkle Stan, Grunkle Ford!”

Mabel’s voice cracked as she called out to her family. Stan was the first to step out of the car, brass knuckles firmly in place, accompanied by a fierce glare.

“Pumpkin, are you okay? Who are these people, and did they fucking hurt you!?”

“Grunkle Stan, they _helped_ us! C-can we all…go back to the shack?”

He nodded his head as he walked over to his niece and nephew. He easily scooped Mabel up in his arms before he placed a kiss on her forehead, an action he rarely did. Ford quickly hopped out of the car and rushed over to check on Dipper, ignoring Pacifica at first. Finally, he did look at her, and he took in the state of her. Old bruises, new bruises, torn dress.

“Pacifica, would you like to come with us, young lady?”

She bit her lip, nodding. He gestured for her to follow him to the car, where they quickly discovered how to keep everyone comfortable for the short ride to the shack. Before getting back behind the wheel, Stan spoke with Greg, telling him to follow them and they’ll end up at the shack.

“Greg, are you _sure_ we should trust them?”

“Aw geez, Pearl. Steven trusts them, so I do too.”

It was a mostly silent car ride, aside from Pearl and Greg quietly talking in the front of the van. Connie silently held Steven’s hand as tears began to slip down her face. She was going to have several interesting discussions with quite a few people, but first she would have to get used to being _pink_.


	24. The Past Will Tell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little fluff, as a treat

Now at the shack, Stan prepared hot chocolate for those who remained awake after the battle that night. Mabel and Dipper were currently on the sofa, cuddled up with Ford and Fiddleford, who were tending to their injuries as well. He had quite a few questions for the group of teens that had fought what he could only assume was a monster.

He still wasn’t sure about Greg, but the kids seemed to like him, and that was enough for him. But that didn’t mean he didn’t keep a close eye on him. He was also rather curious about the _pink_ teen. He was certain she hadn’t been pink the last time he’d seen her. He looked out to see Mabel holding Greg’s hand while Ford worked on fixing her broken leg. She seemed to trust him, and that was proof enough for him.

“Alright kids, here’s some hot chocolate for ya.”

“thank you Grunkle Stan!”

Although it was Dipper who thanked him, Mabel nodded in agreement, unable to unclench her teeth from the pain. Stan frowned at the teen, worry in his face. Looking from Mabel to Dipper, he realized that Dipper seemed to have fewer injuries than his sister. An eyebrow quirked up as he ruffled Mabel’s hair gently.

“Alright you two knuckleheads. Do you want to explain what exactly happened tonight?”

Dipper looked away, fear evident in the way he tried to fold himself smaller. Mabel looked at her brother before she looked back at Stan. Taking a deep breath, she began to tell the story of the evening.

“W-well…it started out not _too_ horrible. We just wanted to find out what was going on with Pacifica…”

She paused, taking a shaky breath. Before she could continue, she was interrupted by Connie.

“What happened tonight was an unholy nightmare, caused by a little boy being tricked into making a deal.”

Her voice was soft, but they could hear the pain she felt. Her eyes had a far-off look, as if she had seen a terrible war. Stan and Ford recognized that look. They knew it as the thousand yard stare, and this girl was far too young to have it.

“When Steven was younger…”

Her voice retained its softness, but now there was an edge to it, proving that she would not be backing down from this story. Her resolve strengthened as she looked at teach curious face, waiting for her story to continue.

“He had an imaginary friend, named Bill. Well…most kids have imaginary friends like that. But this one was different. When they would “play”, Steven would lose consciousness if he wasn’t already asleep. He trusted Bill, because he would take him into the deepest parts of his memories, where he would get to see his mother. And yes, Steven was so happy to finally get to know her. But what he didn’t know, what _nobody_ could have known was: Bill was using these memories to control Steven. He would use his memories of his mother like a puppet. It wasn’t long before Bill made a promise, or rather _a deal_ with Steven.”

A chorus of gasps resounded through the room, understanding beginning to dawn on them. Connie looked at each of them, a fierce look upon her face.

“Steven was just a little kid. He couldn’t have known, and if _any_ of you try to make him feel guilty for that? I’ll fight you _myself_. He feels horrible about everything that happened. He’s exhausted, and will be for quite awhile. Because what happened tonight was kind of like a toxic or abusive relationship. It’s called a fusion, and I know you know a little bit about that, because of Dipven. Steven **didn’t want this**. He was forced into it. And every second that it seemed like that…monstrosity wasn’t in control of itself? That was Steven fighting Bill. I’ve seen fusions like that before, but never like that.”

Finally stopping, Connie looked at the people that Steven had been making friends with since he arrived in Gravity Falls.

“That kid’s not the first person Bill’s tricked, young lady.”

Ford spoke up, as he stood and began crossing the room. He gently put his hands on her shoulders, looking into her eyes.

“But we thought we had beaten Bill, three years ago.”

Connie looked up into his worried eyes, and there she recognized the same fear and worry she felt.

“Well…Bill seems to have a history of defying all odds. Steven hadn’t seen or dreamt about him in years. But suddenly he was back. And how the hell do you guys know Bill anyway?”

Ford rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly before Stan came up behind him and smacked the back of his head.

“This knucklehead made a deal with Bill 30 some odd years ago and paid the price. About a thousand times over. Because of it, Bill came after our family.”

Dipper spoke up after Stan.

“Y-yeah, he possessed my body and forced _me_ into the mindscape! And-and so many other horrible things…”

Dipper shuddered as he finished speaking. Although he wasn’t quite as afraid to speak of the past now, it still brought up horrible memories, as well as the thoughts and feelings associated with them.

“Bill Cipher is a monster. I don’t know where the gems sent him, but it’s possible he may come back. We’ll have to ask the gems in the morning. Right now they’re staying with Steven, making sure he feels safe enough to sleep.”

Connie was calm as she spoke. Now that she knew these people weren’t going to turn on her boyfriend, she planned on explaining what all she could. She suspected the next thing she ought to explain is _why she was pink_.

Back at Beach City, Lapis and Peridot were hanging out at the temple when the bubble containing Bill appeared. Glaring at the bubbled creature, Lapis spoke softly to Peridot.

“Okay so…they went to this place called Gravity Falls…and _this_ is what they sent back? What even is it, Peri?”

Peridot was scanning the strange triangle while Lapis spoke, but the results only led to more confusion.

“W-well…um. I-I’ve never seen readings like these before! I’m not sure _what_ it is!”

Squinting at the creature, Peridot looked closer, remembering a picture she had seen in Steven’s old room recently. Dashing off to grab it, she left Lapis glaring tiredly at the creature. She was back downstairs in a matter of moments, old drawing in hand.

“Lapis, look! This is something that Steven drew when he was a kid. Doesn’t…doesn’t it look like that thing?”

Looking between the drawing and the actual creature in the bubble, Lapis couldn’t deny that there was an incredibly strong resemblance. She glared at the it, wondering if it’s name really was Bill. Finally, the creature opened it’s one eye, and Peridot gasped as it’s eye changed from yellow to bright red.

“Peri…I don’t think that’s a good sign…”

“H-hang on, I’ll call Bismuth!”

Peridot rushed to call their friend as the creature in the bubble began to try and force it’s way out. Lapis watched it carefully, silently putting another bubble around it, in the hopes it would prevent it from getting out. Glancing back at the bubble and her friend, Peridot let out a relieved sigh as Bismuth picked up her phone.

“ _Peri, it’s kinda busy today, what’s up?_ ”

“Bis, it’s an emergency! We need you to get to the temple asap!”

“ _I’m on my way, hang in there!_ ”

Peridot gave a worried thumbs up to Lapis, who was bubbling the same bubble over and over, hoping that she was adding several layers of protection. After all, the creature still hadn’t been able to break the first bubble, but she wanted to be sure. Peridot scampered over, adding a few of her own bubbles. She remembered how Greg had told them about Steven’s imaginary friend, even getting his old drawing out for them to look at.

As they continued with the bubbles, they heard a very distinct popping sound. They shared a fearful look before rapidly bubbling it more. Suddenly they heard the door slam open and Bismuth ran into the living room.

“ **What’s-** “

“ _Excellent question Bis, we don’t fucking know!_ ”

It wasn’t often that Peridot cussed, so Bismuth quickly realized that whatever it was could potentially be a threat to Beach City _and_ Little Homeworld. She knew that Garnet Amethyst and Pearl were with Steven, but she feared they would need to call in for reinforcements if this turned out to be as bad as she was suspecting.

“Well, what do you want me to do, build a cage?!”

There was a beat of silence as they all looked at one another, considering their options.

“ _Yes._ ”

“I’m on it!”

Pearl sat on Steven’s bed, her fingers tangled in his hair. Garnet sat on the other side, holding one of Steven’s hands. And Amethyst was curled up by his side, worried look firmly on her face. She sighed tiredly as he groaned in his sleep.

“Is…is he gonna be okay after that?”

“He’s been through a lot tonight, Amethyst. He may not wake up for quite some time. But I do think we ought to give some healing water to those other humans. They looked injured.”

Pearl sighed as she gently ruffled Steven’s hair before standing.

“Alright, Garnet. I’ll bring some to them. I keep a few bottles in my gem now, just in case. I’ll go see if they need any help out there.”

“Pearl. Thank you.”

Garnet’s voice was soft as she spoke, but Pearl understood what she meant. Amethyst reached for her free hand, worry and fear continuing to grow within her. She had been learning not keep her fear to herself anymore, but it was still difficult for her. Garnet gently squeezed her hand in reassurance.

“He’ll be okay, Amethyst. He just needs to rest, and for us to be there when he wakes up. He’s going to need all of our support.”

Amethyst nodded in understanding before she cuddled closer to Steven, allowing herself to sleep alongside him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no code this time either, but HAPPY SUMMERWEEN


	25. Oh Fuck, What Now?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Are things beginning to look up?

When Pearl walked back into the living room, she was surprised to see the humans all still awake, although just barely. They were talking quietly amongst themselves, she noticed. Connie seemed to be explaining a variety of things, much to Pearl’s happiness. She cleared her throat to announce her arrival to the room, before she spoke

“Excuse me, but I’m under the impression there were several injuries? I have some healing water that may be of assistance to you.”

She carefully watched and gauged the reactions from the humans, as Ford walked towards her, an inquisitive look on his face.

“That wouldn’t happen to be the same healing water that Steven had, would it?”

“It would be. Now then, I have quite a bit, why don’t we set to work healing everyone?”

Ford nodded in agreement as he gathered several washcloths. Pearl slowly approached the twins, trying to gauge which one had the worst injuries and therefore needed to be healed first. Glancing at Mabel’s swollen leg, she quickly made the decision to heal her first.

“Mabel, do you remember me?”

“Yeah! You’re the pretty lady who got me out of the coat room!”

Pearl chuckled as she responded, warmth blossoming in her chest.

“Yes, I am. Now let’s heal that leg of yours, okay?”

Mabel nodded excitedly, and Pearl watched as Connie silently crept off to the kitchen, where she assumed the red-head girl was currently. Summoning the bottle of water from her gem, Pearl chuckled as the teen watched her with stars in her eyes.

“Hey, are you okay Wendy? And Pacifica?”

Connie was careful with her words, wanting to make sure the two young women were okay. They had gone to the kitchen, hoping to relax a little bit. Wendy looked at the pink girl, her eyes full of confusion and worry.

“ _Us_? What about _you_? You were _dead_ out there, Connie!”

Connie winced at the reminder, and the concern on Wendy’s face only grew.

“O-okay, so maybe you’re right, maybe I’m not okay. But I can handle this, I’ve dealt with shit like this before. A-and I’m not the first person Steven accidentally brought back to life. And yeah, maybe I’ll have a lot of explaining to do when I go back home. But my parents will understand. I’m lucky that way, and I’ll be able to go to therapy. And that’s why I’m more worried about _you_ guys!”

Pacifica and Wendy looked up at Connie, who stood tall as she spoke. She was much stronger than they had been expecting. Pacifica looked away, not wanting to explain her current situation to a stranger, but Wendy did not shy away from anything.

“Look, Connie. I’ll be honest, I’m not really okay right now, but I can also handle it. Pacifica, on the other hand, needs help. She’s scared that the kind old woman, Lazy Susan, that she was staying with, won’t let her move back in after how she was forced to treat her.”

“What about parents?”

“Her parents are rich assholes who don’t care about anything other than their public image, she _really_ needs help.”

Connie thought about any way she could help out with what the situation was for the teen. She was beyond concerned for her, now that she had a small amount of the story.

“I think I know some people who could help with that. Greg, or Mr. Universe, he’s Steven’s dad, and he could help out a _lot_. I’ll talk to him, don’t worry about that. And the gems might be able to help as well. We’ll get it all figured out, I swear. Even if you have to come and live with _me_ for awhile, I wouldn’t mind that.”

Pacifica looked at Connie, unshed tears shining in her eyes.

“Y-you have no idea how much that means to me, Connie. I-I just…just want to at least apologize to Lazy Susan first. I owe her that much. I-I mean, she took me in when I went against my parents, she-she gave me a job even!”

At first, Connie was unsure about what she should do, but she chose to open her arms, indicating the teen could give her a hug. Pacifica hesitated, but slowly made her way towards the older girl before finally wrapping her arms around her.

“Pacifica, everything is going to be okay, we’re going to help you, okay?”

Nodding against Connie’s shoulder, Pacifica sniffled, her fear slowly melting away. Wendy watched the interaction between the two, a soft smile on her tired face.

“Come on you two, why don’t we join the rest of them out there. Besides, Stan made this great hot chocolate, and I do believe the doctor ordered some snuggles from your girlfriend, Pacifica.”

Wendy winked at her, a teasing smile on her face. Pacifica chuckled, wiping tears away as she finally pulled away from Connie.

“Um…th…thank you guys. For looking out for me.”

She sniffled again as they walked out into the living room, Connie trailing behind them. When they were already in the living room, she breathed a sigh of relief that she hoped nobody heard. She could handle being undead, right?

Shaking her head, as if ridding herself of such thoughts, she walked into the living room, joining Wendy on the floor as they watched some cartoon.

“Okay, so we have a pretty massive cell for…whatever the hell they sent here. How are the bubbles holding up?”

Bismuth was shocked to see and exhausted Lapis and Peridot, still bubbling the creature over and over. Gently placing one of her hands on Lapis’ shoulder, Bismuth took the bubble, and quickly threw it in the brand new cage. Glaring at the creature, she offered her hands to her friends, who gratefully took them, standing up at last.

“Okay, next on our to-do list, cancel classes for the day and find out what the other gems want us to do with this… **thing**.”

Peridot gave a weak thumbs up, as Bismuth walked them over to the couch, where the two promptly collapsed in exhaustion.

“Ugh…Bis, I have no idea when they’re gonna be back…”

“Well, I’ll ask Volleyball, she usually knows before anyone else!”

“…’kay…”

Peridot yawned before snuggling up against Lapis and falling asleep. Bismuth chuckled at the two before she walked to the kitchen to call Volleyball.

“ _Bismuth! Is..is everything okay? Your students said you left in a hurry!_ ”

“Oh, **crap**. I forgot all about the class. Lapis and Peri needed some help back at the temple, and uh…I have a question for you. Do you know when Pearl, Garnet and Amethyst will be back? We’re going to need their help asap.”

“ _Oh, Pearl hasn’t texted or called me yet, but she did say it was an emergency regarding Steven! I’ll let you know as soon as she calls or texts me, okay? And I’ll let her know that you guys need their help! Oh, I gotta go, my class is about to start! Bye Bis!_ ”

“Uh…bye, Volleyball.”

Clapping her hand against her forehead, Bismuth cursed to herself. She hadn’t heard anything about an _emergency_ with Steven. She was very concerned about the young man she had grown to care for. She sighed as she looked back in the living room to see the cage was working perfectly well for the creature, and her two friends were sound asleep on the couch. Although she knew the war was over, she would not let herself sleep until they knew for sure how dangerous the creature was.

Looking at the two gems who lay perfectly still, save for the movements that came with snoring, Bismuth took a deep breath, hoping the other gems would be returning soon. He relief was only very brief as she heard the distinct popping of the bubbles, followed by the sound of her cage being broken.

“Oh shi-“

_“Steven? Can you hear me?”_

_He groaned lightly as he struggled to open his eyes. Instead of being at the mansion, surrounded by rubble, his head was on someone’s lap. A shock went through his body as he caught a glimpse of pink._

_“M-mom? Is…is that really you?”_

_She chuckled, looking sadly at the young man who had rapidly stood and backed away from her._

_“It’s just a memory of me, Steven. When you learned the truth about me, about Rose Quartz, your gem finally allowed a little piece of me to come back. But I won’t be here for long.”_

_A thousand things were shooting through his mind, a mixture of fear, anger and confusion on his face. He didn’t want to believe it were true. But nothing about this resembled the dreams that Bill had given him as torture._

_“Steven…What Bill did to you was horrible. And I’m so sorry to say, but this war is not yet over. The other gems will need your help. Steven, look at me.”_

_She didn’t touch him, but her voice was soft and pleading. He looked up into her eyes, where he saw unshed tears._

_“You’re my son. I love you so very much. And-and I wish I could have been there to see you grow up. But I will always be a part of your gem. Steven. You have to end Bill, or he will continue on his rampage.”_

_“Wh-what?! Mom, I-I can’t!”_

_“Steven, I’m running out of time. You can defeat him. But you can’t do it alone. Just as I never could have lead the rebellion alone, you will need help. I can’t stay any longer, Steven. I love you.”_

_And suddenly he was left alone, as his mother’s form dissipated, leaving behind only a few dull, pink sparkles in her place. Clutching at his chest, Steven thought over her words. The ones that worried him most, he couldn’t get out of his mind._

**This war is not yet over.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DTZ HFSSTY HTSYFNS RJ


	26. Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> someone tries to hold their mind together.

Pearl looked at the sleeping humans, sunlight beginning to stream through the window. Connie had rested for a very short amount of time, and she was growing more and more worried for her student. She had grown quieter after the humans had finally fallen asleep. Pearl had stayed awake to watch over the injured humans, although the healing water had worked on their physical injuries, there was little that could be done for the mental suffering they had endured.

“Connie…?”

She didn’t respond, choosing to walk silently outside, gesturing for Pearl to follow her. Pearl hesitated for only a moment, glancing at the sleeping humans before she followed her. Once outside, Connie turned to look at Pearl, an unreadable expression on her face.

“Connie, what is it?”

“Pearl…he-he…he _killed_ me. I know it wasn’t really him. But…I _died_. Pearl, I’m so…afraid.”

Her voice cracked as she finished speaking. Worry written all over her face, Pearl gently wrapped her arms around the girl. Connie stiffened at first, but as Pearl carefully brushed her hair away from her eyes, she finally saw the unshed tears there.

“Connie. What you did last night was something even I couldn’t have gone through without suffering. Now you look at me, young lady.”

Pearl smiled through her own tears, concern and worry finally showing enough for Connie to see it.

“I was so afraid we had truly lost you. Yes, you would have died in battle, as a knight. But…nothing is worth losing you, Connie. I know you might still be afraid of Steven after last night, even if you _do_ love and care about him. We were all afraid when he first corrupted, remember?”

Connie nodded in the affirmative, tears finally dripping down her cheeks.

“It will take time, Connie. But you won’t be alone. We’ll _all_ be here for you when you need us. And…I know your parents aren’t exactly going to happy about this. I can help you tell them, if you’d like that?”

She nodded tearfully, as Pearl held her close once again. She was worried for the young woman. Summoning a bottle of water and some tissues from within her gem, Pearl hugged Connie once again before she let go.

“When would you like to tell them, Connie?”

“I-I…we should…call them now. They-they need to know. R-right?”

“We could call them and ask them to come here as soon as possible, if you would prefer that, Connie.”

She silently nodded her head. Pearl reached out her hand, indicating she wanted Connie to come with her, back to the house.

“ _Connie? Is everything okay?_ ”

“H-hi mom.”

“Lapis, Peri, look out!”

Bismuth’s scream rang throughout the small house, much to Bill’s annoyance.

“ ** _YOU FOOLS THINK YOU CAN CONTAIN ME?! I AM THE MOST FEARED DEMON IN ALL KNOWN DIMENSIONS_** **”**

Lapis watched in horror as the creature sped towards Bismuth, his color changing rapidly to a flaming red, as his body began to twist itself into a horrible, mangled version of itself, barely recognizable. Thinking quickly, she began calling as much water as she could towards him. She had hoped to never have to use her water chains again, but this was a situation that called for drastic measures.

“Peri, I could use a hand!?”

Lapis could feel beads of sweat beginning to form on her forehead as she manipulated the water to form chains around Bill. As she did so, Peridot manipulated metal from throughout the house, including the remnants of the cage Bismuth had forged. They knew they couldn’t hold him forever, but they had to hold him at least long enough to call in back up.

“Bis, hurry!”

Peridot’s voice was strained as she struggled to keep her hold on the raging creature. Suddenly they all heard a soft voice calling out for them.

“Bismuth? Lapis, Peri! Pearl sent me, there was an…accident last night.”

“Volley, we don’t have time, we need the rest of the gems here _now_!”

Volleyball froze in shock when she saw the ongoing battle. Summoning her phone immediately, she dialed Pearl, worry and fear written all over her face. Her expression quickly grew to one of horror as her call was directed to voice mail.

“Oh no.”

Mabel woke up to Pacifica crying in her sleep, a twisted expression of fear on her sleeping face. It was then that Mabel finally saw the deep bags under her eyes, proof of the suffering she had endured at the hands of Bill Cipher.

“Pacifica…wake up sweetie. Come on, it’s okay.”

She gently brushed her bangs out of her face, sadness clouding her thoughts as she lightly tapped Pacifica’s nose. Startled, Pacifica sat bolt upright, shivers running through her body as she remembered the events of the previous few days. Although Mabel still had her fears and worries, she opened her arms to Pacifica, who tearfully went towards her.

“M-Mabel? I’m…so… ** _so sorry_**.”

“Shhh, Paz. I forgive you. He’s a monster. Look at me, sweetheart.”

Pacifica sniffled as she let Mabel comfort her. Things were different now, but she was more than happy to accept a small amount of normalcy in the morning. The two didn’t notice Dipper waking up and silently sneaking to Steven’s room.

Dipper felt an emotion he couldn’t quite name, as he walked towards Steven’s bed. He gasped when he saw the state of the older boy. His wounds stubbornly remained present, and as he looked closer, he recognized several scars littered all over his body.

Peeking out from underneath his hair, Dipper saw tiny pink horns, reminiscent of the horns that had been on Billven. Not only that, but there were several spots upon his skin that were now several shades of pink. Buried deep below the pink, he saw what he could only assume were battle scars.

Checking to make sure his bandages were still okay, and not in need of changing, Dipper saw his gem for the first time. But it wasn’t just the gem that caught his attention. It was the scars that surrounded it. There were two large scars, one above, one below. These scars looked almost…as if they were created by giant fingernails. Other than those, there were dozens of smaller scars all around it, some rough, some precise.

Suddenly Dipper was hit with the realization that many of those scars had been self-inflicted. He wanted to reach out to him to let him know he wasn’t alone. But how could he? Steven was unconscious, still exhausted from being forced into becoming Billven.

“Steven, what _happened_ to you?”

He gently lifted Steven’s hand, and was surprised to find it cool to the touch. Concern blossoming in his chest, Dipper searched for his pulse, and was shocked to find that his heartbeat was much faster than it should’ve been.

Suddenly, the small television in the room flickered on, with an image of Steven staring at a pink woman, clenching his hands into fists as she disappeared.


	27. The World Comes Crashing Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie can't hold it together.

“I don’t know, Doug. She sounded like she’d been crying. I’m worried about her.”

Priyanka’s voice was soft as she kept her eyes on the road. When Connie and Pearl had called her, they had both seemed distraught. It had made her worry enough that she had asked one of her gem assistants to help them use a warp pad in order to cut the travelling time down.

“Honey, I’m sure she’s fine. After all, she’s always been able to look after herself well enough before. It’s good that she’s reaching out for help this time, though.”

He put a reassuring hand on his wife’s shoulder, although he couldn’t help but be worried as well. He had been concerned when she had left a voicemail explaining the current situation, but he trusted her. He wanted nothing more than for his daughter to be safe and sound when they arrived.

“Oh my god. Doug, look.”

Priyanka pointed to the partially destroyed mansion as they passed, following Pearl’s directions. Doug tried to not let such a thing bother him, but his gut told him that Connie was likely involved in whatever had caused so much destruction. His mind went to Steven as well.

He had been recovering nicely while on the road, but he knew something bad had to have occurred for Connie to drop her studies to go to him.

“Pri, I’m sure she’s fine. Let’s just get there and see what happened. Okay?”

She sighed before nodding, as they continued driving.

Pearl paced nervously in front of the door as Connie changed into clean clothes, worried about how her parents will react. Connie had wanted Pearl there to help explain the situation, as she was still getting used to it herself. Several of the humans had gone with Fiddleford and Stanford, at her request. Only Dipper and Stan had stayed behind with them. Dipper to watch over Steven. Stan, she wasn’t sure of.

“Oh stars, they should be almost here now.”

Pearl nervously glanced at the stairs, and was surprised to see Connie. She was wearing one of Steven’s sweaters and a soft pair of leggings that she had brought to sleep in. The pastel blue of the sweater complimented her newer, pink tones, Pearl noted. The look on her face made Pearl open her arms to the girl who rushed into them, trembling in fear.

“…P-Pearl, what if…what if they don’t understand…?”

“Then I will personally explain exactly what happened, and if they still don’t…You can always stay with us if you need to, Connie.”

Connie nodded against her mentor’s shoulder, embracing the warmth she felt from her. With Pearl on her side, she could handle her parents. At least she hoped so.

Finally pulling away from Pearl, she wiped away a single tear that had escaped. She smiled softly at her mentor, before she heard a soft knock on the door, followed by her mother’s voice.

“Hello? Connie?”

Fear was written all over Connie’s face as she looked at Pearl. Swallowing, Pearl gently led Connie to the sofa, before she left to answer the door.

“Hello Mr. and Mrs. Maheswaran, thank you both for getting here so quickly. Just to warn you in advance, Connie has asked me to be present for this. For everyone’s sake.”

Doug and Priyanka exchanged a worried glance as Pearl finished speaking. It certainly wasn’t the first time that Connie had asked for support from Pearl, but something about this time was leaving a foul taste in their mouths.

“Of course, Pearl. Now…can you please tell us what’s happening?”

“Follow me, you’ll want to be sitting down for this.”

The pair followed Pearl, an air of fear and worry surrounding them. Pearl gestured to an empty couch before she went to sit on the sofa where Connie was sitting.

“H-hi mom…hi dad.”

“ ** _C-Connie?!_** **You…you’re** ** _pink_** **?!** ”

She tried to respond with the reason for why her colors had changed, but every explanation she thought of died in her throat. Everything around her suddenly seemed so overwhelming.

Her parents staring at her, worry in their eyes.

Steven still unconscious in his room.

She _died_ last night.

She was brought back.

Everything was so, so loud.

She could clearly hear the clock ticking the seconds away as she frantically tried to calm herself.

She couldn’t breathe!

It was too much, she was so scared.

What were they going to think of her like this?

Would they disown her?

Forbid her from being around Steven?

A choked sob was muffled by the sound of Pearl’s voice.

“There was…an accident last night. I was the only gem that wasn’t poofed. But I was too late to prevent Connie’s death, I’m afraid. As you can see, she’s clearly suffering from such an event. Steven…was able to bring her back. It was an accident, similar to how he also brought Lars back to life. As for Steven himself…He was the cause as well. He was manipulated and tortured into a forced fusion between a horrible, horrible being.”

Priyanka and Doug sat, frozen as they listened to Pearl’s words. Priyanka was the first to fully understand what Pearl had said. She looked from the gem who had stood tall next to her own daughter, prepared to defend her, to her daughter, who was trembling, barely containing her tears.

Connie looked up, and for the first time, Priyanka saw the new color of her eyes. She was astounded at the beauty they still retained from her original deep brown hues. Finally standing, she opened her arms as she walked towards Connie.

“Oh, honey. I’m so sorry. Now you listen to me, young lady. Your father and I love you, no matter what. We always have, and we always will. We all knew the risks when you began fighting alongside the gems.”

Priyanka gently rubbed a tear off of Connie’s cheek before she kissed her forehead lightly. Connie still shook violently, despite leaning into her mother’s embrace.

The touching moment was cut short as Stan walked into the room, holding Pearl’s phone.

“Hey, your phone’s been ringing nonstop, you know.”

He stared at the scene in his living room for a moment before speaking once more.

“Uh…I’m gonna go check on the kids.”

Pearl walked over to the table to retrieve her phone and was utterly shocked to see over a hundred missed calls and messages.

“Oh dear. Please excuse me for a moment, I’m afraid something has happened back home.”

She quietly walked into the kitchen, keeping an ear out, should Connie need her help. Unlocking her phone, she was startled as it began ringing once again. Concern blooming in her chest, she quickly answered, only to hear Volleyball’s panicked voice.

“ _Pearl!! Oh my god I’m so glad you finally answered, we need back up, quickly!_ ”

“Wh-what? Volleyball, what’s-“

“ _Bis look out, he’s coming this way!! Pearl I don’t know what this guy thinks he is but we can’t handle him alone!_ ”

Pearl felt her heart sinking as she heard a scream and a crash, followed by muffled curses from Bismuth before the line went dead. She took a deep breath before she glanced back out into the living room, a small smile on her face as she saw the family quietly talking and gently wiping away each other’s tears.

Her resolve strengthened as she walked up the stairs, hoping to come across the other gems.

“Pearl, what’s wrong?”

Instead of hearing Garnet or Amethyst, she was surprised to hear the soft voice of Dipper. She paused as she looked at him, he was still in his clothes from the day before. A ruined tuxedo with a sweater thrown over it at some point in the night.

“There’s something wrong at home, and I need the other gems to come with me.”

Her voice was strained as she tried to be kind to the boy that Steven cared so much for. She couldn’t help but feel concern for him, he reminded her of Steven as a young boy.

“Steven was still sleeping…but I had a question for you…does…does Steven had weird powers?”

She froze, remembering how Steven had expressed wanting to keep his powers a secret for the time being.

“…i-it’s not for me to say, Dipper. You’ll have to ask Steven himself. Now then, do you know where Garnet and Amethyst are?”

He nodded, and Pearl couldn’t help but notice the look of disappointment he was trying to hide.

“They wanted to spend some time with Steven. Is…is he gonna be okay?”

“He will be. He just needs time. To heal, and to recover. He’s just been through a severely traumatic experience as a forced fusion. Of course, that was not the only thing that he’ll need to recover from. But for the time being, he’s sleeping it off, I suppose.”

Dipper looked down for a moment, before he spoke softly.

“I know what it’s like to be possessed by Bill. I-it’s…horrible. You have your senses ripped away from you, you’re forced out of your own mind. Or in Steven’s case, forced _into_ it.”

Pearl looked at the teen, and in his eyes, she recognized the same look Steven had, before he had first corrupted. Her heart broke for the boy she didn’t know, as he explained what her baby had been through.

“Dipper, thank you for telling me this. And…I hope that maybe you and Steven can talk about it together. But right now, I have to get back home before the town is destroyed.”

She was careful not to mention the ‘creature’ Volleyball had spoken of, although she was fairly certain she knew what, or rather _who_ it was. She gently patted Dipper’s head before she rushed back downstairs, nearly colliding with Garnet.

“Pearl! What happened?”

“We need to get back home, Volleyball called me and…I think they can’t handle Bill alone!”

Pearl’s panic was finally showing itself, now that Garnet and Amethyst were by her side. She was quiet as she explained what Volleyball had told her over the phone, and several text messages.

“Pearl, with the three of us helping, I’m sure we’ll be able to handle him. Don’t worry.”

Garnet spoke firmly as they headed for the door. Amethyst was silent, a fear creeping through her mind. She jumped when she heard Dipper calling for them.

“Wait!! I have something that might help you! Here, it’s my Grunkle Ford’s old journal. There’s information on Bill there, I want you to take it. Anything to help against him. But if nothing else…you _have to get him back in Gravity Falls_.”

As Dipper finished speaking, Pearl was only a little surprised to see such a determined expression on his face. She knew there was a reason, but she dare not waste any more precious time asking for an answer.

_Steven stared at his reflection. His mother had long since disappeared. Now he was left alone. He stared at what he assumed he looked like now. His body littered with scars, reminders of his past, of his corruption, of his forced fusion with Bill Cipher._

_In the black pool he sat in front of, he remembered everything he had ever suffered. How much pain he had been through. But in remembering the bad times, he remembered his friends. His family. As he thought back to how much each of them had helped him, they began to slowly appear next to him._

_Connie was first, although she still had her pink colors. She smiled softly at him and kissed his forehead before kneeling beside him._

_Next were the gems, although Pearl was the one who knelt beside him and took his hand._

_Then came Greg, who wrapped his arms around Steven’s shoulders._

_As more and more people joined them, Steven felt the warmth and love they each held for him radiating through his body. Finally, large, fat tears began to trickle down his face, quickly turning into wet sobs as he allowed himself to process what he had suffered recently._

_When he looked back at his reflection, it wasn’t just him anymore. He knew that he wasn’t alone, like Bill had convinced him before. And he knew that he had his entire family on his side for when he would have to face Bill again._

_Rubbing his face, he struggled to see who was on the other side of the black pool, and was surprised to see his mother once again. Or at least what he assumed was his mother._

_It was her in the past, hugging Pearl and Garnet close, with other gems surrounding them. The rebellion soldiers, he realized. Not just gems, but there were humans mixed in with them as well. Shocked, Steven watched as human couples, and human/gem couples happily talked with each other._

_But he blinked and then it was gone. Something was calling to him. And it was telling him to come home. To wake up._

_He felt warmth in his hands as he began drifting back into the real world, no longer stuck in his mind. The love and care he felt from his friends and family would stay with him when he finally awoke._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DTZ LJRX BNQQ SJAJW GJ FGQJ YT HTSYFNS RJ
> 
> N BFX HFLJI NS LWFANYD KFQQX GZY STB NR KWJJ


	28. What Are You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM. SO SORRY. THIS IS MUCH LATER THAN ORIGINALLY PLANNED BC SHIT HAPPENED 
> 
> BUT HERE HAVE THIS

Dipper slipped silently back into Steven’s room, the gems long gone. He watched as Steven’s chest rose and fell steadily, a thousand questions about the older boy running through his mind nonstop.

Who was Steven, really?

Who were the people that Connie called in for help?

Why had Connie turned pink?

_What_ was Steven?

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a slight twitch in Steven’s hand, accompanied by a light groan. His body went rigid as he watched and waited for Steven’s eyes to open. Steven’s breath hitched as he finally began to open his eyes.

He stared straight up at the ceiling for a moment, before tears began to trickle down his face. Dipper’s eyes grew wide as he watched this boy that he had grown to love sob openly for the first time.

“…St-Steven?”

He gently lifted Steven’s hand off the bed, taking it in his own. Every word of assurance he wanted to say died in his throat when Steven used his other arm to hide his face. But Dipper had seen what Steven had been trying to hide. His eyes, once a beautiful deep pinkish brown, now glowing a dull pink.

“Steven. Look, I-I know that what happened wasn’t your fault. I-I mean…look at you now. A-and I know that Bill is a monster. H-he wanted to take over the world a few years ago, you know…”

Steven sniffled as Dipper spoke. He kept his arm firmly over his eyes, but Dipper made a decision. He knew the pain and fear that Steven must have also been feeling at that moment.

“Yeah, Mabel and I were only 12 when it happened. We…we could’ve died back then. We almost did. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Way before all of that happened…I met Bill. We had met him once before, in Grunkle Stan’s mind.”

Dipper chuckled at the memory before continuing.

“Now _that_ is a story for another time. This time, I was by myself when I met him. I made a deal with him, to help me crack the code on an old laptop. He wanted a _puppet_. At the time, Mabel was working on a big puppet show musical or some shit like that I can’t remember exactly. I helped her out, and she had promised to help me. Well, something happened and she didn’t help.”

He took a deep breath, memories flooding his mind.

“Well…I shook his hand, and I expected him to take one of the puppets. Instead of one of Mabel’s sock puppets…he took control of _me_.”

At that, Steven finally put his arm down, laying it on his stomach. Dipper was careful not to stare at the older teen, only glancing at the movement before continuing his story.

“I was basically a ghost for several hours. And in that time, Bill hurt my body. In so many ways, I can’t even remember them all. I still have scars from it. If Mabel hadn’t saved me, Bill would have killed me.”

Finally, Steven looked directly at him, no longer crying, but a look of understanding dawning upon his face.

“So…it’s not your fault. Bill has tricked a lot of people, Steven. I understand that much. But we all still have some questions about you. We won’t ask them for now, since you’re still recovering, but you should be aware of it so we don’t shock you later.”

Steven nodded, the movement barely perceptible. He was grateful that Dipper took the time to tell him about his own past.

“Are you hungry Steven?”

“…y-yeah…”

He cringed as his voice cracked, a sign of how damaged his throat had become with Bill having control. He sighed as Dipper dashed out of the room to fix him some food. Closing his eyes, he realized he could hear Connie’s voice, along with the voices of her parents.

_There she was, her lifeless body covered in blood and bruises._

His eyes flew open at the sudden mental pain. Dr. Maheswaran had warned him about what else could happen if he was in yet another traumatic situation, but he still felt largely unprepared. He had expected a rush of emotions, and yet…he felt, well, he wasn’t quite sure what he felt.

Carefully moving to sit up, Steven noticed the pink and purple spots all over his body, and a wave of fear washed over him as he looked at them. Closing his eyes again, he took a deep breath.

_A flash of Billven through a cracked mirror, poofing Amethyst and Garnet._

He inhaled sharply as he opened his eyes once more. This time, Dipper had seen him, however.

“Steven?”

Instead of seeing the look of worry and concern on Dipper’s face, Steven saw him looking at him with utter betrayal in his eyes, the same way he had looked at him the previous night. He looked away, his shoulders trembling.

Realization dawned on Dipper as he quietly set down Steven’s breakfast before dashing into the living room, (“I think I heard them say that that lady is a doctor”) he called for Dr. Maheswaran to come help Steven.

“Uh…excuse me! Dr. Maheswaran! Can you help Steven please!”

Dipper’s voice was clearly laced with panic as Priyanka and Connie both ran for his room. Steven wasn’t glowing pink, but he was shaking violently. Connie quietly walked toward him, gently calling his name.

“Steven…Sweetheart, can you hear me?”

Dipper watched helplessly as the two women gradually got closer to him, finally gently tapping his shoulders. When he turned to look at them, his cheeks were soaked once more with tears. Connie gently sat on the side of the bed, before she took his face in her hands and brushed her lips across his forehead.

Brow creased in worry, Dipper left the room. He was certain the two women could handle whatever needed to be done for Steven.

Greg sat in a small office with Fiddleford, calmly talking about the events of the previous night and what needed to be done in terms of repairs and loans.

“Well now, Mr. Universe, Ah don’t think there’s gonna be much of a problem! After all, that mansion was meant to be destroyed to begin with, to make room for a lot more _smaller_ houses!”

“Wow, really? A-anything I could do to make up for what happened?”

“Well, Ah believe Mayor Tyler would be interested in anything you could do, so Ah’d recommend talking to them!”

Greg nodded as he walked out of the small office, only to see Mabel and Pacifica braiding each other’s hair. It reminded him of a few years ago, when he had watched Connie and Steven do the same before fusing into Stevonnie.

He sighed at the memory. He doubted things would ever be the same for their family again.

“Mr. Universe, what’s it like at Beach City?”

Mabel’s question caught him a bit off guard, but he was more than happy to tell her about his home.

“Well, Mabel, it’s on the beach, of course. And it’s a small town, we all know each other, you know?”

“Of course I do! After all, Dipper and I live _here_ every Summer! And every break we can!”

Greg smiled at her, she reminded him so much of Steven when he was younger. Worry clouded his face as he thought back to his son in the Mystery Shack. He had been assured that Steven would receive the best care that Priyanka could give him. And he knew that Steven trusted her.

Dragging himself out of his thoughts, he continued speaking about his home.

“Beach City really is a wonderful place, girls…”

Gideon gritted his teeth as Ford carefully tended to his injuries from the previous night. He had also been given a small amount of food to begin with, along with water. Ford was trying to be careful, but considering the amount of injuries Bill had inflicted upon Gideon it was rather difficult.

“My apologies, Gideon. Bill certainly did a number on you while you were under his control, didn’t he?”

“Yeah. I’m just…glad it’s finally over. I must’ve hurt so many people. I hurt Pacifica, and she’s one of my closest friends. And I know I hurt way more than just her, didn’t I?”

Ford froze at Gideon’s words.

“Young man, you were being controlled by a _demon_. **He** did all of that, not you. Now I understand how it must feel. Bill used to have free reign over my own body, if you recall. None of what _he_ did, were things that I would do. It wasn’t _me_ that did all of those horrid things. It was _him_.”

Gideon looked at the floor, as he remembered the stories he had been told about Ford’s past. He knew that Ford was telling him the truth. But he couldn’t stop blaming himself.

“It will get easier with time, my boy.”

“I sure hope so.”


	29. Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know. "Where have you been??"
> 
> if you're not in the Discord, you don't know that I've been at PT for the past month or so for my previously mentioned work injury. It was a pretty bad rotator cuff strain. 
> 
> Not to mention my mental health was rapidly declining, but it seems to be better now, so I was able to to write! I hope y'all enjoy this!

“Volleyball! What happened?!”

Pearl worriedly helped her beloved onto her feet, as Garnet and Amethyst searched for the rest of their small team. Bill had left the beach in favor of tormenting the small town, much to their concern and frustration.

Volleyball coughed harshly before speaking.

“We held him off as long as we could. But we couldn’t hold him back forever. Not even bubbling him would work! Bismuth had a cage for him, but he broke out of it _effortlessly_!”

Pearl held Volleyball closely as she exchanged a fearful look with Garnet.

“Pearl, Volleyball. We can’t do this alone. We may need help from the other gems in Little Homeworld. Possibly even the diamonds if we can’t contain this… _monster_ ourselves.”

Amethyst had stayed quiet, instead listening intently as the other gems discussed their current situation. Finally, she spoke.

“Guys…he beat _Steven_. We all know how powerful he is. Not even the diamonds have seen powers like his. What makes you think _we_ can beat this thing?”

She looked at Bismuth and Lapis, each one suffering from injuries that according to the laws of their nature, they should not have had.

“Amethyst. I know you’re worried, we all are. But something was holding this creature back before. Now we have to find what it was.”

Realization dawned on Pearl as she remembered the battered old journal that Dipper had given her before she left. Gasping lightly, she summoned it from her gem, and quickly began flipping through the pages until she found a page about Bill.

“Garnet, Amethyst! Look at this. Dipper gave this to me before we left, in the hopes that it would help us. It looks like there _is_ a way to defeat Bill.”

The trio huddled together closely as they looked at what Pearl was pointing at.

The Zodiak.

“Now Steven, breathe in.”

Listening intently, Priyanka spoke again.

“And out.”

Her brow creased in worry, she gently brushed a tuft of Steven’s matted hair out of his face.

“Your heartrate has finally calmed down. Look at me Steven.”

He did as she said, unshed tears shining in his eyes.

“I don’t blame you for what happened to Connie. You’ve both been through something traumatic, and I understand that. Steven, I only wish that you didn’t have to go through even more traumatizing events.”

She sighed tiredly before she stood, and began walking towards the door.

“D-dr. Maheswaran?”

“Yes Steven?”

“D…do you really mean that?”

She froze, her hand still on the doorknob. _Did_ she mean it?

“Of course I do Steven.”

“H-how can you not blame me?! I-I…I did so many horrible things…”

Fearing another attack was on the rise, Priyanka rushed to his side, gently rubbing circles on his back as she spoke reassuringly to him.

“Steven, what happened was _not_ your fault. You were tricked and manipulated by a cruel, heartless creature. Maybe I did blame you in the beginning, before I knew the whole truth. But I can say with confidence, that none of what happened was your fault, and I absolutely do not blame you for it.”

Speaking softly, she murmured words of comfort to him, like only a loving parent could. She listened for his breath to even out once again.

Connie was quiet as Doug wrapped a soft blanket around her shaking shoulders. Once Steven had calmed down enough, she had noticed how tense he was around her. She looked at her pink hands, now a constant reminder of one of the worst nights of their lives.

Would things ever be the same between them again? She felt a sob building up in her throat as she once again played back the memories, what she could have done differently. As happy as she was that Steven was still alive, she knew she had to tend to herself first.

“Connie, you did everything you could.”

Doug carefully sat next to her, opening his arms for her to lean into. Connie felt the tears prick her eyes and finally trickle through. She sniffled softly as she pushed her face against his chest, her shoulders shaking.

She felt a soft, moist nose nudging her leg, and twisted, surprised to see Lion looking at her. She blinked and sniffled again before she turned to allow Lion to join what was now a cuddle pile on the couch. Lion began purring softly, and the added warmth made Connie feel safe.

“ _Maybe, with Lion by my side, it won’t be so hard…_ ”

She smiled through her tears, allowing Lion to offer her as much comfort as he could. After all, they were the same now, weren’t they?

He sighed contentedly, even as Connie tightly gripped his mane. Although Doug was being squished by the weight of them both, he gently brushed Connie’s hair out of her face, before gently brushing his lips across her forehead.

Greg smiled tiredly as he walked out of city hall, content with the compromise he had settled on with Mayor Tyler. It had taken a considerable amount of time to evaluate the damages, as well as begin the plans to fix them. His next planned stop was to get some nice food for everyone at the shack, certain they were all starved.

He spotted Greasy’s diner and remembered that Steven had talked about it often in his calls home. He had loved the food there. Getting back in the car, he drove the short distance to the diner, and quickly entered the building. Lazy Susan greeted him cheerfully, barely looking up from cleaning the table she was at.

“Uh…do you guys do to-go orders?”

His voice was gravelly and deeper from the amount of talking he had done, on top of his out of control emotions the previous night. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, as he waited for an answer.

“Of course, we do! What’ll it be?”

“Oh, uh…do you have a menu I can look at?”

“Sure! Here you go, handsome!”

Greg took the menu, walking over to the counter, where several of the locals seemed to be eating breakfast. He tried his best to simply figure out what to order for the large group at the shack. He continued reading through the menu, making a mental note that everyone would probably like pancakes and bacon. Sighing, he finally placed his large order, all while being watched closely by the locals.

He felt nervous as he finally walked forward to grab his order, several large bags of food. The intense stares from the locals made him feel rather self-conscious of how much food he had just bought. Shaking his head, he walked out the door, breathing a sigh of relief. Putting the bags in the car, he thought back to his son’s current condition, and resolved to stop by a grocery store, in the hopes that they carried protein shakes.

Although Steven didn’t survive on them as he had in the past, if he had a horrible day, he was more likely to drink one to get nutrients than eat any food that required the effort of chewing. He sighed as he remembered the last time Steven had felt that badly.

Shaking his head, he pulled into the store parking lot, and was preparing to get out when his phone rang.

“Hello?”

“ _Ah, you’re the kid’s dad, right?_ ”

“…Stan?”

“ _The one and only. He needs to get some food soon, according to the Doc. So hurry the hell up, would ya?_ ”

“Sure thing Stan. I’ll see you soon.”

He hung up and opened his car door, reminding himself he was only getting some food that he knew Steven would be able to eat.

Garnet grunted as she attempted to hold Bill back, as Pearl and Amethyst fused with Lapis and Peridot, creating Ocean Opal, a fusion formed for strength, but held together by the strong bonds her components had.

Her six arms offered a much sturdier grip on Bill, as she easily took him from Garnet. Garnet looked up in awe at the newest fusion. She reached her hand out to Bismuth and Volleyball, who were quick to do what she had been quietly asking. Bismuth collided with Garnet, and the result was yet another new fusion, as Volleyball rushed to guide them all towards the only place they knew they could seal the demon.

**Back in Gravity Falls.**

**Author's Note:**

> https://alexandjadasblog.tumblr.com/
> 
> tumblr, for reasons. headcanons and art go here, I also answer any questions here!
> 
> ALSO, AS OF 6/5/2020 A DISCORD: https://discord.gg/JpQFGCd


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